The Professor
by PinkPanther06
Summary: Jake Knightley is an interim professor at Donwell University. His lifelong friend and current roommate Emma Woodhouse thinks it would be funny to register for his class. But when wild speculations followed by unexpected feelings start to complicate things, is there a way to fight their way to a (happy) resolution? Modern-day Emma.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** As promised - a new story involving Emma and Jake. There are of course multiple issues and conflicts they will have to go through before finally realizing they are meant for each other. I really wanted to discuss the age gap in a modern context but I still reduced the age gap so there is a 12-year difference between the two.

I have always been a reader but am very new to writing so would love some honest feedback/comments/reviews.

Also, does someone know if there is an easy way to upload multi-chapter stories? I currently upload individual chapters in the doc manager and do it that way. Is there a way to upload an entire story and then just select the chapter I want to post? Thanks.

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**Chapter 1**

"Dad, you are being completely unfair!" Emma Woodhouse declared loudly, her dinner completely forgotten in front of her. Emma might look dainty and delicate with her honey blonde hair and slender build but one look into her fierce green eyes made it clear she was not planning on backing down.

"Emma, I just don't think you are ready," began her father, Henry Woodhouse. "It isn't that I don't trust you, it is other people I don't trust."

That particular statement definitely did not have the desired effect Henry was probably going for. Instead, it made Emma see red. "You don't think I'm ready? I'm twenty-two years old. I am probably the only person I know who still lives at home. It was fine to stay in Highbury during my undergrad degree, but do you have any idea how hard it is to get into this master's program, and you think I should give it up because you don't want me to move away from home?"

Emma could see the guilt in her father's hazel eyes, but he still didn't say anything to indicate he was going to accept that she was moving away from home for her master's degree. Emma's stubborn nature was definitely genetic, as the two glared at each other, clearly at an impasse. Her green eyes battled with his hazel ones as the father and daughter not only both wanted their way but also wanted the other person's approval and blessing.

Henry had always been overprotective of his two daughters', especially after his wife had passed away in a car accident. Regardless, it had never occurred to Emma that he would be so resistant to the idea of her moving away. He had always encouraged both Emma and her sister Isabella to explore their passions and study whatever they wanted, and now for him to say no was just unfathomable.

Emma studied her father for a few minutes trying to figure out a new plan of action. She usually got her way with her father by asking him nicely and when that didn't work, she used his sweet tooth to her advantage. This time no amount of begging or chocolate cakes seemed to be working.

Henry Woodhouse was in his fifties, and although he didn't have as much hair as he once did, he was still a good-looking man who clearly took care of himself. This was in part because when he wasn't sneaking the occasional sweet, he generally followed a very regimented diet and exercise program. His wife's unexpected death had made him much too aware of his own mortality and the fear of something happening to him and leaving his daughters alone had made him obsessed with his health. The care with his diet and exercise made him healthier than people half his age. On the flipside, his fears had made him hyper aware of every little ache and pain leading him to be perpetually convinced every little thing would be the end of him. His need to overanalyze every situation was understandably his biggest weakness and was the reason he was having a hard time with the thought of Emma leaving home to live by herself in a city that was six hours away.

"Dad," Emma took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down and explain things for what felt like the million times. "You know I want to be in the fashion industry. It isn't easy to get into that field. This program at Donwell University only accepts about twenty people each year and they essentially guarantee an internship at one of the top fashion houses or magazines. This is a huge step towards establishing my career."

"Emma, you are the one who keeps telling me that fashion is all about creativity and being different, and now you want to be one of the masses by working at some design house or magazine? Why don't you create something and sell things online? Why do you need to leave the comforts of your home to move to a city that is six hours away and where you don't know anyone?"

"Dad, even if I want to eventually start my own business, I still need to have a solid resume that shows I know what I'm doing."

Emma couldn't believe her father was being so stubborn about this. She had agreed to stay in Highbury for her undergrad degree because it had seemed to make the most sense. It certainly hadn't occurred to her that her father would have made such a huge fuss if she had brought up the idea of her moving away sooner. She didn't remember her dad being this resistant when her sister had gotten married five years ago and moved away (albeit just across town).

"You know I don't really need your permission anymore, right?" Emma said quietly.

The complete silence that followed this statement made Emma immediately wish she could take those words back. She could see the stricken look on her father's face and just hated knowing she had hurt his feelings. Emma was determined she would be making the move, but she was just as determined to have her father be happy about this decision. She loved him too much for it to be any other way.

The sound of cutlery against a plate was stark in the resounding silence and made both father and daughter turn their head in unison and glare at the interrupter. Jake Knightley had been sitting quietly across from Emma waiting for the argument to finish so they could all go back to eating. However, instead of the conversation ending, things seemed to be progressing from arguing into the dangerous fighting territory. Just when Jake had decided to discreetly return to his meal, Emma's comment had caused a lull in the conversation, thus his eating had thrust him in the spotlight.

"Jake!" Emma ground out in exasperation.

"Jake…" Henry repeated slowly as if noticing him for the first time.

Jake cleared his throat, "just ignore me and continue your discussion."

Jake had been part of so many family dinners throughout their lives that it was perfectly natural to have a heated discussion with him at the dinner table without any embarrassment. He was the son of her father's long-time friend and the Woodhouse and Knightley families had dinner at each other's houses at least once a week. When Jake's parents passed away while he was in his last year of his undergraduate degree, Henry had taken Jake and his younger brother John under his wings and become a de-facto father figure. Jake especially had availed Henry's mentorship and come to him over the years to discuss every major career and business decision. At this point, Emma couldn't remember any major milestone in her life without the Knightley's being present.

He was basically family, especially after his younger brother John ended up marrying Emma's older sister Isabella. Emma knew that if Jake hadn't been physically present, she probably would have called him to vent about how unfair her dad was being, or her father would have called him to ask for his help in making Emma see reason. He would have heard about this argument either way.

It was almost funny that he was both their go-to person for advice or that Emma was so close to Jake given that he was twelve years older than her. Growing up, Emma had spent more time following John and Izzy around, who were both six years older. Jake had been so much older that he hadn't really registered much on her radar except as someone who was always lecturing her about something or other. It wasn't until John and Izzy started dating and then got married that Emma had started to take all her life problems to Jake.

Henry looked at Jake with a gleam in his eyes. "Jake, I understand that you have accepted a teaching position for one year at Donwell. The same university that Emma is planning on doing her masters at."

"Yes," Jake agreed, still mostly distracted by the food in front of him

Henry now had a wide smile on his face as he continued, "It isn't that I am against Emma moving but I don't think it is safe for her to live by herself. I have an idea… how about you two live together for the year? Jake, if you were there, that would make me feel better knowing Emma wasn't by herself. That way I don't have to worry about her being alone. I know you will keep an eye out for her. You would both be at the same university anyways."

"What?!" both Emma and Jake simultaneously yelled.

This now had Jake's full attention and both Emma and Jake stared at Henry Woodhouse as if he had lost his mind.

"Henry… What?... I… I don't think that is a very good idea," Jake finally got out, in obvious shock over this suggestion.

Henry had now turned pleading eyes towards Jake, "you don't have to say yes right away. Just think about it and then decide. It's just… after Emma's mom passed away, I had vowed never to leave my girls alone if I am able to. I don't want to hold her back, but I can't move there myself. I must consider my work and the weather in Donwell makes my gout act up. I also noticed the last time I was there that I kept sneezing and my throat felt scratchy. I am worried my seasonal allergies are becoming worse and I won't be able to breath there. But what if something happens to Emma and she is by herself?"

"You have got to be kidding me. Absolutely not!" Emma interrupted loudly. She couldn't believe her father thought this was an acceptable solution with her _living_ with Jake Knightley.

Although Jake Knightley was only thirty-four, he was the managing partner at a small but successful law firm. And while Henry hadn't had the temperament to expand his own single person practice, Jake had found the perfect balance for taking educated risks to start and expand his firm, which specialized in policies, complaints, and cases relating to corporate and employee ethics.

Emma had forgotten about Jake's plan to take a year-long sabbatical from his law firm and teach some courses at the university. It wasn't enough that he had a law degree, had simultaneously gotten his MBA, and started his own firm, he now also wanted to add teaching to his resume. Most people had secret dreams of becoming rock stars or actors, apparently, Jake Knightley's secret dream was to be a professor. Emma hadn't been able to stop herself from bugging Jake ever since she had found this out.

Regardless, Henry had clearly latched onto his idea with both hands, hoping this would make his beloved daughter happy. "How about it, Em? Jake? You can move to the city for your program and I don't have to worry about you being alone. And Jake couldn't ask for better company than having Emma there."

Jake was adamantly shaking his head no, his dinner completely forgotten in front of him.

Emma could see the gleam in her father's eyes signaling he had already made up his mind. She jumped in desperately, "Dad, I don't think this is a good idea. Jake's a single guy, I'm sure he wants his privacy."

Henry scoffed at this argument, "Jake is pretty much family. It would be like living with an older brother."

"Henry, I understand your concern. Of course, I will keep an eye out for her, but I don't think I need to live with Emma to do that," Jake said gently.

Henry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No, of course you are right. I was just being silly. It's just you say that I have always been there for you in your life and if there is something I need, all I need to do is ask and you would do it for me. I worry about Emma being alone and I thought maybe you could help me out but don't worry Jake, I understand you can't do this for me. I will see if I can manage my workload and figure out a way to move. I mean you were already moving there but it's okay. I will also make an appointment with my doctor to find out my options to manage my gout and what to do if I go into anaphylactic shock from my allergies."

Emma closed her eyes, instinctively knowing the battle was lost and this would be Jake's downfall. He respected her father and considered him to be his mentor and would never be able to stand firm in the face of her fathers' obvious guilt trip.

Just as she suspected, Jake was looking down in guilt. He quickly looked up and said in a firm voice, "Henry, I do understand where you are coming from and yes, I would be happy to live with Emma if that would make things easier for you."

Emma couldn't believe they were being serious. Did they think she needed a keeper? She wondered if she should give in to the compromise gracefully, but this was not what she had in mind for her first real university experience. She loved Jake in a vague sort of way as one would anyone they have known their whole life. She even generally _liked_ him which wasn't always easy with his tendency to try to better her character all the time. He was one of her closest friends, but that didn't mean she wanted to live with him, especially when he was literally meant to be acting as her babysitter!

Now that Jake had made up his mind, Emma could see them both giving her expectant looks as if she was a child and was supposed to be thankful for their permission. Emma just shook her head and pushed herself away from the table and walked out of the room. She stormed up the stairs and slammed the door loudly to her room. The loud bang made her feel slightly better even though she knew Jake would tell her she was being childish. There were a lot of things he thought she was childish about and her not accepting this compromise with grace was probably one of them.

It hadn't even been a few minutes when she heard the door to her room open and Jake peek his head through. "Emma, can I come in for a second?"

"No, you may not."

Jake, of course, ignored this and entered the room while giving her a disappointed look. "Emma, you are being childish!"

"And you are such an easily manipulated suck up!" Emma retorted angrily.

Emma glared at him as he calmly took the chair from her study table and pulled it close to her bed. Jake was a good-looking guy with thick, wavy brown hair and brown eyes covered by glasses. He was at least six foot three, and the height added to his persona of being capable of handling any problem in life. Emma figured that if he wasn't so uptight and serious all the time, he would have a long list of girls wanting to be the future Mrs. Knightley.

It wasn't that Jake was lacking in girlfriends or interested females, but he was basically married to his company. His focus was on expanding his firm, leaving him with very little time for a serious relationship. Now with this sabbatical he was planning, he spent even more time trying to iron out all the business details while developing course material for the business ethics class he was planning on teaching.

'_Of course, Mr. Straight and Narrow would be teaching ethics of all things' _Emma thought sourly.

Emma sat up on her bed and clutched her pillow against her chest. She sat in petulant silence waiting for Jake's lecture to start.

She didn't have to wait long before Jake began. "Emma, you wanted to join the master's program and now you get to, what is the issue?"

"You seriously have to ask what the issue is? You guys are acting like I need a babysitter. I'm twenty-two and have never lived alone. Most people move away at eighteen, I get that my Dad wasn't ready, and I never pushed it but am I expected to live at home the rest of my life? Besides, you can't honestly say you actually want to live with me"

Jake sighed, "Emma, you are right. It wasn't what I was originally planning. But try to understand how hard this is for your Dad? He has been a single father for most of your life and he might seem overbearing to you, but he means well. You know the history, your father had never been a risk taker but the one time he decided to do something daring and attend a meeting for a lucrative job, your mom got into a car accident. That was one of the few times my family wasn't in town either and your father carries that guilt that your mom was in the hospital all alone. She passed away all alone. He wasn't here and suddenly you girls were left all alone until they were able to track him, and he was able to come back for you guys."

Emma wondered if it would be acceptable to cover her ears, so she didn't have to listen to Jake. She knew this story even better than Jake did, it was her story after all. She had only been six at the time, but she still remembered the feeling of sitting in the police station holding her sister's hand and trying to understand what was going on. She remembered Izzy at twelve, trying to act like a grown up and stop herself from crying while telling her it will only be a few more minutes before their mom came to get them. Those minutes had turned into hours which had become the next day before the police had been able to track down their father and get him home.

She still remembered seeing her strong father collapse and break down when he had run into the temporary shelter they had been taken to due to the length of time it took their father. The care workers had tried to make things as comfortable for them as possible but there was nothing they could have done which would have made that time easier. Their mother, of course, had never come home.

Emma closed her eyes against the sudden tears and warring emotions. Her entire life had been shaped by that day. Her father had stopped trying to expand his own law practice but instead had turned his focus on raising his two daughters. The sisters had become even closer, their bond forged through trauma and heartache. And if her dad had never allowed the girls to go to their friend's houses for overnight sleepovers, or sent them to camp, they had always understood and never asked for more. _How dare Jake tell her she was being childish. All her life she had stayed home and said no to her friends to avoid hurting her father… but this opportunity could change her entire life. At some point, she had to do this. _

Jake nudged Emma until she finally looked at him. "Give him credit for trying Emma. My agreeing to your dad was only meant to help you both out. I know how much this program means to you and I will be there anyway. Don't worry, I am not planning on cramping your style. You can do what you want, and I won't get in your way. Besides, it might be nice to have a friendly face around in a new city."

"You just feel guilty because you feel like you owe my father," Emma mumbled crossly. She knew she was being unfair and finally sighed. "I know, Jake. I appreciate your offer. I know you certainly weren't planning on having a roommate along, so I appreciate you taking on babysitting duties."

"Maybe you could be like my live-in housekeeper and cook and clean for me," Jake teased, trying to get her to smile. "Emma, of course, I would try to help both you and Henry. You are right that I do owe him a lot in my own life but cut him some slack. It isn't that he wants to hold you back from fulfilling your dream but there are just some things in life that are hard to get over. For Henry, the thought of someone being alone is synonymous with him losing a loved one."

Emma gave Jake a small nod followed by a weak smile. "That would be a _no_ to your cooking and cleaning offer unless you finally want to try my breakfast smoothie with the spinach and kale in it, in which case I will make that every morning. More importantly, if we are going to be roommates, does this mean we get to do facials and paint each others' nails?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone for reviewing.**

**Just a note that I re-posted Chapter 1 with some edits. Most of them are clarification type edits but I did change one plot point based on a suggestion from Laina Lee. The 'living together' bit is now proposed by Henry Woodhouse instead of Jake initially. I liked the idea of that more so I went through and changed a few dialogues and such to reflect that (in case anyone was interested in re-reading that part).**

**Enjoy and I look forward to further reviews and** **feedback.**

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**Chapter 2**

Jake studied his computer screen in a good imitation of interest, wondering if his secretary would notice if he threw the computer across the room and had a panic attack instead. He was always expected to be the strong one, the sensible one, the one with all the answers. As managing partner of a law firm specializing in corporate ethics and human resources type issues and policies, his calm approach to any problem is what had helped him become a trusted and successful lawyer. His decision to take a year sabbatical had followed with widespread panic from all his colleagues and employees, but after seeing Jake be so confident in the decision, everyone else had slowly calmed down as well. _If Jake wasn't worried about a problem, then there was nothing for anyone else to worry about._

There would probably be mass pandemonium if everyone knew the truth, that Jake had no idea what he had agreed to. It had seemed like such a good idea when his professor from his own MBA courses, Dr. Weston, had approached him about his desire for Jake to come in as a guest lecturer for one of his business classes. It had been Jake who had mentioned how at one point he had contemplated becoming an academic. This was all the encouragement Dr. Weston had needed and had immediately suggested he put something together on business ethics and governance. Jake had voiced his concern about not knowing enough about teaching, but Dr. Weston had assured him that they didn't want someone from a teaching background but someone who had Jakes practical knowledge about providing legal advice to corporations on effective human resource policies and how to avoid any ethical or moral issues while operating a company. The focus would be how to ensure fair business dealings, have a good human resources structure, or a proper governance structure etc, all the things Jake advised his clients about daily.

It had all seemed to make so much sense when Dr. Weston had been describing his vision for the class and Jake had been so excited about the thought of being a professor (even if only for the year) that he had agreed to the plan. He had always assumed he would become a practicing lawyer and would be the one working for a company instead of running one. In fact, upon completing his dual degrees, he had spent a few years working for a major law firm to get some experience. It had turned out to not be what he wanted and he had ended up starting his own law practice. His vision had been to focus on corporate ethics but had always imagined a small one or two-man show. It wasn't until he had landed a large firm as a client that the need to expand had entered his mind. The success of his work with them had been noticed by other corporations and suddenly a full-fledged law firm with multiple partners had been born.

Now everyone's eyes were on him for his plans to teach and his only option was to act confident like he knew exactly what he was doing. Jake's master plan included training his brother John, also a lawyer to be the acting manager, but also to continue remotely overseeing the firm. Although John was good at his job, he never really understood the business side and was adamant he wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility of running the firm. Even if secretly Jake had doubts, he kept assuring John (and everyone around him) that yes, they could do this without him, and yes, this really was a great idea. Besides, Jake was the managing partner and didn't currently have any active cases but the several senior and junior lawyers that worked for him all knew how to handle their daily cases and workload.

Jake's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing phone. "Hello?"

His secretary's voice came through on the other end. "Mr. Knightley, Mr. Woodhouse is here to see you. Can I tell him you are available?"

"Of course. Send him up."

He had relied so heavily on Henry Woodhouse initially when setting up his own firm and offering services for his chosen specialization. When Jake had realized this was starting to generate significant interest and he would need to hire people, it had been Henry who had suggested he set up all the procedures and corporate structure for what he would want his company to look like if he ended up expanding. _Start with the end in mind._ Jake had taken that advise to heart and put together all sorts of business structures not really expecting to have more than a few employees. He couldn't have known he would have more than a dozen lawyers and countless non-lawyers working for him.

"Jake, are things almost in order for your big move? I can't believe you are willingly giving up partial control," Henry said as he entered the room.

Jake just smiled, used to the gentle teasing about his need for control. "I'm so glad you are here. I'm hoping you can help me get things settled and maybe convince your son-in-law to stop worrying so much. I will be working remotely and checking up on him and am only six hours away."

The two men smiled at each other, knowing full well that first, Jake liked his control too much to not be involved. Second, John would keep on worrying regardless of what anyone said. They also knew that John was smart enough to handle the daily issues and would know when to go to Jake for help.

Henry settled into one of the chairs across from Jake. "Thanks for letting Emma live with you. I trust you and I know you will take care of her." Henry sighed and looked away clearly embarrassed at his show of weakness. "I know I am too protective, but I just get so scared with the thought of her being all alone and what if something happens to her and she doesn't have anyone there?"

"Henry, you don't have anything to worry about. You have done so much for me and John over the years and have always been there to listen or help me with not just the law firm but in life. This is the least I could do for you." Jake paused before adding ruefully, "It should be me thanking you instead of the other way around."

He realized he meant every word of what he was saying. Jake didn't say it often enough, but he owed a lot to Henry for everything he had done. Not just being his mentor in the work world but always being there for the brothers after their parents passed away. Jake had tried his best to support his younger brother, but he knew the Woodhouse family had played a big part in making sure John was able to cope. Especially during the years when Jake had been mostly absent due to his overwhelming workload, the Woodhouse family had been there. They had been more family to them than their own extended family. It had seemed so natural when John and Izzy started dating and eventually got married.

Jake had mixed feelings about the thought of living with Emma. Although she was one of his closest friends, she was also a little spoiled and used to getting her way. They had spent a lot of time together over the years but usually as part of the extended family. The times they had spent doing solo activities like going for a bike ride or watching a movie had been limited in nature and very different from what he had just agreed to. However, even if he was hesitant with the prospect of having Emma as his roommate, now that he had agreed, he wanted to make sure it was as comfortable as possible.

This really was his opportunity to pay back some of the debt he owed to Henry Woodhouse for taking on the responsibility of two boys and ensuring they became successful men. Although they hadn't been as young as Emma and Izzy when their own parents passed away, the unfailing support and encouragement Henry had provided had been instrumental in where the brothers were today.

Jake gave Henry a quick smile. "Besides, according to Emma, I'm always around to lecture her on something or other, so it only makes sense that I'm there to keep her in line when she moves away from home. Consider this my good deed for the year."

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"Taylor, thank you so much for helping me move. I swear these boxes are multiplying. I only packed a few clothes and the barest of bare essentials." Emma declared as she grabbed yet another box to take into Jake's new apartment.

Emma's friend, Ann Taylor (known by her friends as just Taylor) snorted, as she passed some more of Emma's things to Jake to take inside. The three of them were trying to unpack the small moving truck of Emma's things.

"So, do I need to arrange for another apartment, to put all of your things?" Jake wondered out loud.

"Ya, I should have asked exactly how many boxes there were before offering to help," Taylor added.

Emma stuck her tongue out at both her friends. "I've seen Jake's boxes inside. My boxes are nothing in comparison."

Taylor and Jake just laughed as they made their way into the spacious apartment with their respective boxes. Taylor was a petite redhead who was always full of energy and willing to help a friend out. She had been Emma's piano teacher and occasional babysitter when she was younger but even after Emma had gotten over her music phase, they had remained close. Although Taylor was closer to Jake's age, Emma still managed to have a lot in common with her, and the two spent a lot of time hanging out and watching old movies or baking together.

She was so glad that Taylor had convinced her dad that she could help get Emma settled into her new place instead of her father coming. Both father and daughter had been a blubbering mess during their emotional goodbye.

Emma took a deep breath and looked around at her new home for the next two years. She had to give Jake credit for picking out a gorgeous and spacious apartment. No student housing or shared apartment would have been as nice as this place. The apartment had two spacious bedrooms on opposite ends of a large living room and open concept kitchen. There was also an open den area which served as Jake's office. Jake had hired a decorator to come in and buy furniture and the basic kitchen supplies, so all Emma had to do was move in her own things. Emma knew Jake had loved the place so much he had decided to purchase the apartment outright and had subsequently told her she could keep living here for her second year even after he went back to Highbury. Hopefully, by that time Emma would know enough people for her dad's mind to be at ease.

"Okay, I think that is the last one. Should we get started unpacking the boxes?" Taylor asked while plopping down on the white leather couch in the living room.

Emma loved her friend but her tendency to always be so practical wasn't what she needed right now. "No way! This is my first day officially living on my own. We are going out to celebrate."

"I was meeting my old professor for drinks, so you guys go ahead without me." Jake supplied while continuing to stack boxes in a neat pile.

"Absolutely not. Invite your friend along! We are celebrating tonight. Let's go explore some nice pub, get some drinks and dinner." Emma declared. Her eyes sparkled as she added the next part, "and don't worry, I have Jake here to help me unpack all my clothes."

Jake looked up in alarm, "I don't do clothes…"

"I didn't realize this was a no clothes type of place," Emma said sweetly while watching Jake's ears turn red. Teasing Jake was one of her favourite past times and living with him would give her ample opportunities to bug him.

Taylor just laughed. "Jake, Emma's right, why don't you just invite your friend as well and we can all have a relaxing dinner. I wouldn't mind exploring the city a bit before I head back."

"Is Emma even old enough to drink at a pub?" Jake mumbled as an afterthought.

This was completely ignored while Emma began unstacking the boxes Jake had just finished stacking so she could dig through and find the perfect outfit for her first night on the town.

It only took three outfit changes and yelling from both Jake and Taylor to hurry up before Emma was ready to go. They had decided that Dr. Weston would just meet them at an upscale pub close to their apartment. As soon as they entered the place, Jake headed towards a table with a distinguished looking older gentleman already seated there. Jake's friend looked like a quintessential professor with salt and pepper hair, thick-rimmed glasses and a tweed sports coat.

"Hello, this is Dr. Weston," Jake began making the introductions. "And these are my friends, Taylor and Emma."

"Just call me Nathan. We are going to be colleagues after all," Dr. Weston replied.

The group sat down and began the process of introductions and general chitchat. Emma had to physically stop herself from dancing with glee. Nathan was talking to the group, but his eyes kept wandering back to Taylor every few seconds.

_Well… isn't that interesting… and Taylor seems to be just as interested in Nathan. _Emma had never seen her friend Taylor blush so many times in one conversation. She couldn't believe her suggestion for drinks and dinner were leading to an obvious connection between two people.

Nathan was a professor in the Faculty of Business. He was divorced and had a son who was also working at the university. It was obvious he was passionate about teaching and loved telling stories about all the 'wild' things that went on at the university.

"This was great. We should all meet again soon for a casual dinner." Nathan stated at the end of the evening.

"Oh, I'm sure next time you wouldn't really want me and Jake along," Emma replied in a teasing tone.

Emma looked at the group in confusion at the awkward silence that followed her statement. Taylor and Nathan were furiously blushing and avoiding each other's eyes while Jake was just looking furious.

"I think that is a great idea, Nathan. I'm really looking forward to working with you." Jake said with a smile as he grabbed Emma and started walking a little faster to let the other two chat privately.

"Why do I get the feeling I am in trouble again? I was just kidding, and come on Jake, you can't say you didn't notice that they were completely into each other," Emma explained hotly.

"That isn't the point. They just met for the first time tonight. Let them talk and if they are interested, they can figure it out themselves. This isn't high school anymore where they need you to help things along."

"Okay fine. I won't say anything next time, but if they do end up together, I completely get credit for this one!" Emma declared while already picturing her bridesmaid outfit at the wedding. Maybe she could even convince Taylor to let her be Maid of Honor.

Jake gave her an incredulous look. "This was a complete fluke. How on earth do you get credit for this?"

"It was my idea to go out for food! If I had left it up to you guys, we would be unpacking boxes right now."

"Realistically speaking, that is what we should have been doing since you have two days before classes start."

"I agree, and the next two days are going to be spent shopping for the house. We have so many things to get Jake."

"Emma, you are crazy. The house is fully stocked with everything."

"Jake, you have just the basics. You aren't letting me pay rent, the least I can do is buy some things to pretty up the place and make it feel homey."

Emma couldn't help but get caught up in her excitement in describing all the things she would buy to make this into a cozy little place. If she threw in a few ridiculous items just to see Jake's eyes fill with panic, well Jake didn't need to know about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jake had expected there to be some initial awkwardness with Emma once Taylor had left. He was pleasantly surprised that any difficulty caused by the two of them living alone only lasted a few moments until Emma suggested watching a movie and they had gotten into an argument over what to watch. Although they had known each other all their lives, they were generally always surrounded by other people and Jake had been worried that they wouldn't really have much to talk about without the other people around as buffers. They had very different interests; she was a fashion major and he was a lawyer, but he should have known that Emma would have an opinion on any and every topic.

They were currently discussing how he should engage his class, so they were interested in whatever he was teaching. This was over ice cream during their third house items shopping trip. Jake had no idea what they needed so many candles and throw pillows for, but Emma kept assuring him these were the bare necessities to have a comfortable house. Jake had to admit the house was starting to look a lot nicer than how it had started out. It looked like something out of a magazine with turquoise and golden accessories and splashes of colors throughout. Emma had made the place homey and comfortable without making it too fussy.

Emma was adamantly arguing for the need to have fewer lectures during the class time, "I say you skip the lectures and do lots of group work and presentation type assignments. Those are always a lot more interesting than listening to someone talk for an hour."

"But Emma, this is a lectures-based class. I will keep the group work into consideration but there are certain topics I must cover in class. Maybe I can look up some jokes to tell the class."

"Oh my God! Don't you dare! First, this isn't a grade four class and second, your jokes are always lame!"

"Oh, come on! How about this one? Parallel lines have so much in common… It's a shame they will never meet," Jake cracked up at his own joke while Emma threw her napkin at him.

Emma stood up and started gathering their bags, "I think you have had enough sugar for a day, Professor Knightley. It is time to head home and get ready for our first day of university."

* * *

Jake stood in front of the thirty some students currently waiting for him to start talking. The lecture hall looked so imposing and he felt insignificant at the front. He was generally a good public speaker and had given many presentations to his staff or clients. Those meetings were very different since he had his title as the CEO to give him confidence. That title was also very useful for getting the attention of the people in the room. It apparently wasn't as impressive when he was a professor. He reminded himself that teaching was something he had always wanted to do, and he couldn't let nerves get in the way of his big opportunity. He still couldn't help but think, now that the moment was in front of him if he should have stuck with what he knew.

Jake finally cleared his throat and began speaking, "Hello class, my name is Professor Knightley, and I'll admit that this is my first-time teaching. I want us to have a comfortable relationship so feel free to ask any questions or voice any concern. I am open to your feedback and look forward to hearing what is working or not working for you."

Jake began to feel more comfortable as he saw students listening intently. He should have known that most students in a master's level class were there by choice and were well past the pointing and giggling stage. "This class is called 'Business Ethics and Governance'. The first part will be split into the ethics portion where we will talk about topics such as conflict of interest, social responsibility, fair trade, and global variations of acceptable business practices. The next portion will talk about governance structures including corporate responsibility, regulatory, and touch on the legal aspects such as bribery, insider trading, and discrimination. Let me know if you guys have any questions."

Jake was so excited to see a hand shoot up for a question. It indicated that the students were already engaged and listening. _Ha, and I didn't even need to do a joke!_

"Yes, please introduce yourself before asking a question until I start remembering names."

"Hello, _Professor_." Jake could feel his eyes brows rising at the sarcastic nature of the 'professor', especially when the student continued in the same tone. "My name is Elton Brown and I would like to know why a topic as important as ethics is being taught by someone who doesn't have at least a doctorate on the subject? There are people who spend their entire lives discussing the nuance of ethics and we have a lawyer who will be teaching us this."

Jake nodded his head in thought. The question was unexpected, but he replied with easy confidence. "I understand your concern, but this is a course in the Faculty of Business. This isn't meant to be a theoretical class but a practical class on how to run or set up a business while keeping the topics we will be studying in mind. My law firm specializes in advising companies on exactly this, so this topic is something I am deeply familiar with. If you want to study the theory of ethics, then you are in the wrong faculty entirely"

This elicited a chuckle from the classroom. Elton obviously didn't like the response but simply crossed his arms and didn't say anything further. Nevertheless, Jake could see him muttering to himself regarding the unsuitability of their new professor.

The rest of the class passed by in a blur and just when Jake was starting to get warmed up to the topic, it felt like the class was already over. Overall, he would consider the class to be a success and he even had several students pipe up with legitimate questions and comments. Jake couldn't help the wide smile across his face as he gathered his things and headed out the door.

"Jake… Jake Knightley? Wait up."

Jake turned at the voice calling him in the hallway. He turned to see a pretty brunette striding towards him. "Jane? Jane Fairfax? It is so good to see you! What are you doing here though?"

Jane was the niece of one of his neighbors, Ms. Bates, in Highbury. Although it had been a few years since he had last seen her, he remembered a quiet, studious, and accomplished woman who was the center of her aunt's world. Ms. Bates talked about her so much though that he felt up to date on her entire life.

"I work in the administration side for the Faculty of Business. I saw your name and decided to come and find you. How was your first-day teaching? I heard you had an Elton encounter."

Jake was startled at her words since the class had just finished a few minutes ago. "How on earth do you know that?"

"I work in admin. I know everything," Jane offered a mysterious smile. "Don't feel bad. Elton is one of those students that thinks he knows everything. If it was up to him, he would be the one teaching all the classes. All of us would be following him around just talking about how wonderful he is." This was followed by an eye roll and a quick laugh.

Jake couldn't help but notice how her entire face lit up as she laughed. Jane Fairfax was very pretty in a quiet sort of way. There was nothing overly obvious about her features with her brown hair and brown eyes, or her way of dressing with her sweater and skirt set. Regardless, everything was perfectly proportioned and well balanced. Jake contemplated asking her for coffee as a chance to catch up on everything since the last time they had seen each other. _I wonder when Emma is done her classes and maybe she can join us._

Jake shook his head at the thought of Emma, wondering why that had even entered his head. He had promised her he would not get in her way and this was her first day of classes. She was probably busy making new friends and filling up her social calendar. He certainly wasn't expecting that she would be wanting to hang out with her older friend every day.

* * *

Emma could barely contain her excitement as she headed towards her first class. It had taken her almost two hours to find the perfect outfit, and this was after she had already decided on the perfect outfit the night before. As a fashion major, she felt extra pressure to have the perfect look. She wanted her outfit to have the right balance of _I'm serious about what is trendy while not really caring about what is considered trendy. _Emma hoped her bright white tuxedo dress with the hand painted blue swan sent the right message of sophisticated care. She knew the bright scarf and hooped earrings put her personality and dramatic flair on clear display.

She entered the room and looked around at the hand full of students already gathered. Everyone in the room looked like they had just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. It was a gathering of the perfect hair, makeup, and outfits, and Emma felt like she had just found where she truly belonged. _These are my people!_

Emma made her way to an empty chair and noticed a girl with curly auburn hair sitting in the chair beside it. The girl's outfit made Emma smile as the combination of bright red, yellow, and orange was almost blinding in its brightness.

"Hi. I'm Emma. Is someone sitting here?" Emma introduced herself as she sat down.

"No. Please sit down. Everyone already seems to know everyone else and I was starting to wonder if I will ever have anyone to talk to. I'm so nervous right now. I couldn't believe it when I got to Donwell University. It has always been my dream place and then to get accepted into this program. I feel like such a country bumpkin sitting here surrounded by all these people." The nervous tirade seemed to just burst out of Emma's new friend. "Oh, how silly, I didn't even introduce myself. I have this habit of just rambling and then forgetting about what we were talking about. I'm Harriet Smith."

Emma giggled deciding it was her duty to help Harriet get more comfortable. It wasn't that she knew anyone else, but Emma was sure if given half the chance she would be friends with the remaining people in the room. She knew she was good, so there really wasn't anything to be nervous about.

"It's good meeting you Harriet. I have a feeling we are going to be good friends. So, do you live on campus?" Emma asked while continuing her catalogue of the remaining students.

"Oh yes, I live in student housing. It's small but I have my own room so it's just perfect. What about you?"

"I have an apartment off campus with a roommate," Emma hesitated before finally adding, "my roommate is also at the university. He works here."

Harriet gasped, "you live with a boy? Like a boyfriend? Of course, someone as pretty as you would have a boyfriend. You are so lucky!"

Emma looked at her new friend with alarm. "Boyfriend? Jake? No way. He is not my boyfriend. He is so much older, and I have known him my entire life but not like that. It's not that he isn't good looking because he is, but he is always so serious, and he works too much. I mean he is friends with my dad for goodness sakes. I couldn't even think of him that way. His brother is married to my sister so that practically makes him family. Well, I guess not really family but definitely not boyfriend material either…"

Emma stopped herself from rambling any further at the slow nod her new friend was doing, but she just wanted to make sure that Harriet understood that Jake was not her boyfriend.

There was an awkward pause before Harriet finally replied. "Well, I still think it's great that you guys get along well enough to live together. I know I'm here for an education, but I really want to have the full university experience including a boyfriend."

Emma's eyes widened at the thought of helping her new friend find someone. "Oh, this is great. I just helped one of my friends find someone and I just have a feeling it's the real deal with them. I can totally help you find someone too."

She could clearly hear Jake's voice in her head telling her, "_I really hope you aren't referring to Taylor and Nathan since you didn't actually do anything there." _Emma, of course, ignored the Jake in her head.

Harry seemed just as excited by the prospect. "That would be so wonderful. I just know if I have you helping me, I will find someone fantastic."

Harriet was still chattering about all the things she wanted in a boyfriend when the most handsome man Emma had ever seen entered the room and walked to the front of the group. Emma could feel her heartbeat increase and her breathing slow down as she stared at the man with the blonde hair and broad shoulders shuffle some papers. His dark jeans and maroon velvet jacket seemed to be tailor-made for him and fit him like a glove. _I'll help Harriet find someone but this one's mine._

The man cleared his throat and looked up at the room. Even from a distance, Emma would have sworn his eyes were blue and they were looking directly at her. She shivered with excitement as he began to talk. "Hello everyone. My name is Frank Churchill. I am your student advisor for the program and will be here to help guide you for everything from your courses to your work placements. Any issues you have, I'm your man."

"The program is set up with an emphasis on getting practical work experience. This first semester you will take the general courses on everything from the history of fashion, textile theory, color mixing etc. you will also be expected to take an elective from a different faculty. The next semester onwards will be work experience along with the courses. This will be a great program and I know each of you will be a success in whatever you decide to pursue."

Emma barely heard a word of the program introduction and course structure Frank was going through. She was too busy staring at his lips and thinking about how soft and full they looked. _They are completely different from Jake's lips which are usually firm and serious unless he was laughing and then they sort of softened up._

Emma frowned at the direction of her thoughts. She wanted to remember every moment of the first time she saw the love of her life. She would need to know every detail to tell her grandkids one day and she didn't need Jake ruining the moment in her mind.

Emma's thoughts were interrupted by Frank's next announcement, "unfortunately, there is one issue that will impact a number of you here. Anyone who had picked Sociology as their elective will need to change to something else as the class is no longer being offered in its original time. I'm afraid that due to the rigid structure of this program and because the semester has already started there aren't a lot of options left. Please refer to the list I have up on the presenter for your options."

Emma ignored Harriet's whispered questions asking if she was one of the impacted students and studied the list on the screen instead. She did not particularly like this turn of events since she had already spent considerable time going through the different courses that would fit her schedule to find the most interesting and had finally settled on Sociology only to have to start again. None of the offered courses seemed to hold any interest when she suddenly found the perfect offering.

She finally turned towards Harriet with a wide smile. "Oh yes. I know exactly what I'm going to take. I'm going to take Business Ethics and Governance."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone for the reviews and favouriting the story. I get so excited every single time!

Just a note that I made a slight change to Emma's reasoning for enrolling in Jake's class in the last chapter based on feedback from a reviewer (Thanks **Laina Lee**). It basically just changed the last paragraph which I included below as a CH 3 - RECAP.

Please keep reading and especially reviewing. I really appreciate the feedback and put a lot of thought into the feedback to see if it improves the story, makes it more realistic, improves flow etc etc. Cheers.

* * *

***** CH 3 - RECAP *****

Emma's thoughts were interrupted by Frank's next announcement, "unfortunately, there is one issue that will impact a number of you here. Anyone who had picked Sociology as their elective will need to change to something else as the class is no longer being offered in its original time. I'm afraid that due to the rigid structure of this program and because the semester has already started there aren't a lot of options left. Please refer to the list I have up on the presenter for your options."

Emma ignored Harriet's whispered questions asking if she was one of the impacted students and studied the list on the screen instead. She did not particularly like this turn of events since she had already spent considerable time going through the different courses that would fit her schedule to find the most interesting and had finally settled on Sociology only to have to start again. None of the offered courses seemed to hold any interest when she suddenly found the perfect offering.

She finally turned towards Harriet with a wide smile. "Oh yes. I know exactly what I'm going to take. I'm going to take Business Ethics and Governance."

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Emma threw open the door, ready to burst with the need to tell someone about her first day. She rushed in to see Jake sitting on the computer at his desk.

"Oh, good you are home. Today was just fantastic. I think… wait no… I know I'm in love." Emma announced dramatically.

Jake didn't look up from the screen as he mumbled absentmindedly. "I'm glad you are liking your classes."

"Classes? It's too early to tell if the classes are any good but I met my future husband. I'm in love."

This got Jake's attention and he finally looked up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the excited expression Emma was hoping for. "A guy? Seriously? I thought you were here to study and figure out your career. Emma, please don't become one of those cliché's who just spends their university time chasing after the opposite sex."

"Ha! I will not be the one doing the chasing. I just need to make him notice me somehow and then he will be the one coming after me."

"Emma, I think you are missing the point here. You need to focus on your studies and the excellent opportunity you have been given. This is a difficult program to get into and you begged your dad to come here, so don't throw this away because some pretty boy caught your attention."

Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes at Jake. "Who said anything about not studying. If I happened to meet the most perfect man ever, well what can I say, I plan on having my cake and eating it too."

Jake still looked unconvinced. Emma finally threw up her hands and walked towards her room. "Way to ruin a perfectly exciting conversation. Can you make something for dinner while I call my sister?"

She could hear Jake mumbling something at her while she quickly dialled her sister Isabella.

"Hello? Izzy? I'm so excited. I met the most perfect man today. His name is Frank, and I think I'm in love!"

She could hear the squeal of excitement on the other end. "Oh Emma, that's great. I'm so excited for you." She could hear Izzy sigh on the other end, "I remember when I met the perfect man. Oh, it was the most wonderful feeling."

"You mean John? Your perfect man? You know… your husband?"

Izzy just laughed, "no silly. John is far from perfect. I still remember this guy when I was in university. I think his name was Mark or maybe Dave? He was just perfect."

Emma was quiet before saying in exasperation. "First, Mark and Dave sound nothing alike and second, Izzy, why did you marry John if you think your perfect man is out there somewhere?"

"Em… I didn't say he was my perfect man. I just said he was perfect. He was gorgeous with these sparkly eyes and a huge smile and we used to have an English class together. So just picture it, we would read Shakespeare and poetry together and discuss literature for hours. It was like a scene out of a corny movie but honestly, we could talk literature for hours. It was just great. Wait, now that I remember, he was kind of boring. He didn't talk about anything except literature all the time. Argh."

Emma rolled her eyes over the phone before adding confidently. "Oh, I know we will have tons to talk about and I will end up with him. You just wait and see."

* * *

A few days later Emma snuck into the Business and Ethics class and tried to find a seat near the back. She hadn't told Jake that she had chosen his class as her elective, wanting to surprise him instead. The thought of him spotting her halfway through the lecture made her want to giggle. She could just picture his eyes scrunching together as they tended to do when something unexpected happened. It was becoming obvious that one of the high points of her living situation was going to be finding ways to bug Jake. _He really shouldn't make it so easy._

The last few days had flown by surprisingly fast. Emma was amazed at how much time and effort was required for each of her classes. She wasn't afraid of work, but she had been expecting it would take a few weeks before they got so deep into the course material. Here she was still trying to finalize her schedule before the final course drop deadline, and the professors were already talking about assignments and mid-terms.

Emma scanned the room until she finally found a seat next to a brown-haired man in the back row. He looked to be a few years older with a thoughtful expression as he sat studying some notes. If it wasn't for his side-parted hair and clothes that looked like something her dad would wear, he would be cute.

"Hi. I'm Emma. So how is this professor? I missed the first class and am just trying to get up to speed on what I have missed." Emma asked in a friendly tone.

The man looked at her for a few moments before finally replying. "I'm Elton. You missed the introduction and beginning lecture. The class is fine I guess. I think all classes should be taught by _actual_ professors though. This guy is some lawyer pretending to be a teacher."

Emma bristled at his words, _how dare he say that about Jake._ She was ready to jump to his defence before Elton sighed and continued, "but I guess even if he isn't a career professor, he has set up a good class and didn't do that bad last class."

Emma glared at Elton for a few seconds before deciding to forgive him. His statement was true after all since Jake wasn't a career professor. She still felt the need to add, "I've heard really good things about him so far."

Elton just shrugged and changed the subject to ask her about what she was taking instead. They chatted for a few more minutes before she saw Jake enter the room and begin introducing the days topic.

It wasn't until halfway through the lecture that she felt Elton's hand go up to ask a question. Emma could tell the exact moment Jake noticed her sitting beside Elton in his class. Just as predicted his eyes widened then scrunched together trying to figure out what she was doing here. She wondered if he would say something to indicate he knew her, but Jake just called on Elton and got into a discussion of who should be responsible for ensuring compliance in an organization.

Elton seemed knowledgeable on the topic and was asking several follow up questions. He would probably be a good person to know in the class, especially since she needed notes from the class she missed. She giggled thinking she could just ask Jake for the notes this evening instead.

It was obvious that Elton loved to talk as he seemed to have a comment or question about most of the topics. He seemed to look at her every time he put up his hand as if to make it clear he was about to say something, and she should pay attention. _Wow, he must be so passionate about the topic._

Emma was obviously not planning on doing anything to embarrass Jake in front of people, but she could feel Jake's eyes returning to her in question throughout the class. Emma sat there hiding a smile, engrossed in taking notes and trying to catch up to the discussion. She was secretly enjoying knowing she was bugging Jake just by sitting here. _This was a perfect idea. I can take my elective and bug Jake at the same time._

Emma was just debating if she should approach Jake at the end of the class when she heard Elton clear his throat beside her. "Did you want to grab lunch and I can help you catch up on what you missed last class?"

She couldn't help the wide smile she gave him. "Yes. That would be great. Thanks."

_This would also give me the perfect opportunity to scout him out as a potential boyfriend for Harriet._

* * *

It had been a few hours, but Jake was still so angry at Emma that he couldn't stop pacing around the living room while waiting for her to get home. It had been obvious from her pleased expression in class that she thought it was a joke to just enrol in his class. She could have at least discussed it with him, so he would have had a bit of a heads up.

After the class had ended he had rushed straight to Jane's office to ask for an updated class registration list. His insistence to double check if this was, in fact, the most updated list had caused Jane to give him a strange look, but she hadn't said anything except confirming that yes that was the list.

Regardless of how much he didn't like it, Emma had registered for his class. _Well, she would just have to register out of it._ Didn't it even occur to her to think how it would look that Jake, a professor teaching an ethics class (even if it was on the business side), was _living_ with one of his students?

Jake turned towards the door as Emma walked in with a satisfied expression on her face.

"Professor Jake," Emma greeted him as she doubled over in giggles.

It finally occurred to her that Jake hadn't done anything except continue to stare at her. "Oh, come on Jake, I wanted to surprise you. I think it's hilarious that you will be my professor."

Jake couldn't seem to muster any humor. "Well, I'm glad you had fun, but you will have to take another class instead. You can't be in my class."

"Nope. No can do. Apparently, there was some issue with my original elective and they had to move students around. There aren't any classes left that work with my schedule. I just knew you would be all weird about this, but you are stuck with me," Emma replied triumphantly.

Jake closed his eyes and prayed for patience before finally turning to address her. "Emma, you will need to figure something out. I can't believe you think this is a joke. By registering in my class, I am now your professor. A professor you are living with. Do you understand what this means or what people will think? People will think and say all sorts of things. There is a clear conflict of interest here, any mark that you get will be questioned, my objectivity will be questioned, this entire situation will be questioned."

Emma had finally stopped smiling as she realized just how serious Jake was being. "I think you are worrying too much. No one who knows you would ever think that you would be anything other than fair."

Jake wanted to shake Emma for being so naïve. He knew his voice was cold as he replied, "that is the issue, no one here knows me as anything other than a new professor. And yes, people will think all sorts of things. They will think you are using me for marks or we are sleeping together or that we are in a relationship."

"What?! No one is going to think we are… sleeping together. No offense… but eww."

"Emma!" Jake finally yelled. "Why wouldn't they? You would be the first one ready to gossip if you heard about a student who was living with her professor. Especially one teaching an ethics class. What were you thinking? You could have at least discussed this with me."

"I… I will see what I can do. I will talk to our student advisor to see what the options are. I'm sorry Jake. It didn't even occur to me how it would look or how you would feel about it."

Jake shook his head in frustration. "Emma it isn't how I feel about it. It is already a grey area with being your professor and knowing you personally but now we are living together. Tell me what you think would happen if someone finds out about this?"

"Well let me tell you what would happen Emma. There would be all sorts of rumors, nasty ones implying you are sleeping with an older man or me with a younger woman, to pass a class or for money or who knows why. If even one student files a complaint because they don't like their mark or think I was unfair, there will be an investigation. I could lose this job. It could impact my law firm since everything I do is based on my reputation. I can't convince a company to hire my firm to work on cases involving their corporate or employee issues if my own character is in question. Your internships have a character element to the positions, so you might not find a placement. And not to mention the embarrassment of having to explain ourselves or our history or relationship to people."

Jake knew he had finally gotten through to Emma by the shocked expression on her face. He didn't know if the shock was simply because he had never spoken to her like that or the thought of people thinking there was something between them. Either way, he needed her to understand the importance of her finding a different class to register into. She had to face reality at some point and realize that everything in life wasn't always sunshine and roses and everyone wasn't always nice or looking out for her interest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Emma felt horrible after the conversation with Jake. She had spent most of the night sulking in her room alternating between recognizing the truth in Jake's words and wanting to yell at him to stop blowing everything out of proportion. It wasn't like professors didn't have kids or friends that they knew who happened to be in a class they taught. But she knew exactly how controversial it would sound that a single guy and a single girl were living together without being related. _I can't believe anyone would think we were sleeping together though._

Even when Emma had gone to the kitchen to get dinner, Jake had just sat at the computer in silence. She thought about apologizing again but Emma still wasn't convinced it was that big of a deal. Jake had obviously been spending too much time with her dad and was now over analyzing everything as well. It's not like anyone even knew they were living together.

Regardless, Emma didn't want to deal with a sulking Jake and headed to Frank Churchill's office first thing the next morning to discuss her course schedule. She couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach at the thought of talking to Frank. The thought of finally having a legitimate topic to discuss with her dream guy made her cheer up. She hoped the outfit of wide leg trousers and a sleeveless button vest gave off the perfect mature and confident vibe that she wanted.

"Hi, Frank? Did you have a few moments?"

Frank waved her inside while giving Emma a wide smile. "Come in, come in. How can I help you?"

Emma was momentarily blinded by the smile before remembering why she was here. "I need your help in switching out of a class. I know the drop deadline has already passed but I absolutely can't take this class."

Frank frowned and gave her a teasing look. "You absolutely can't huh? Any particular reason?"

Emma hesitated, trying to think of a good reason to tell Frank without actually telling him. "Umm, the professor is a family friend of mine. I don't want there to be a conflict of interest."

Frank just smiled and waved her concern away. "That shouldn't be an issue. A family friend isn't necessarily a major conflict of interest. I understand your concern but there aren't many elective classes that fit in our program schedule. And most professors don't allow for transfers once the drop date has passed."

"Can I just drop a course and take it at a different time then?"

"I'm afraid not. The structure for the program is rigid and the full-time work and other courses you will have to take doesn't allow for courses to be moved around. The same thing with just dropping a class, this will be considered an incomplete. I don't think it should be an issue. How close of a family friend is it?"

She once again debated just telling Frank her concern, but she wanted him to know without a doubt that she was available and not inadvertently assume she was in a relationship. She had been so focused on getting her dad to agree to her attending the master's program that she hadn't fully considered the consequences of living with Jake.

Emma looked at the floor before finally mumbling, "our parents were friends."

"Ya, that should be fine. Also, since he's a professor, I'm guessing he's a few years older than you, so probably not a close friend. I don't think there will any issue. I'm glad you brought it up though. Now was there anything else I could help you with?"

Emma shook her head and wondered what else to say. She knew Jake would not be happy to hear that she hadn't been able to transfer out of his class. She didn't want an 'incomplete' on her final transcripts though. Nevertheless, Frank hadn't seemed all that concerned that she knew the professor or that he was a family friend. _You conveniently didn't mention that you live with said professor._

Emma ignored the thought and instead tried to think of some other topic she could discuss with Frank to prolong the conversation. She had spent awhile getting dressed up and had pictured them talking about all sorts of things but now that she was standing here she couldn't think of anything casual to say. In her mind, she had been the perfect balance of cute, funny, and flirty, but the reality wasn't exactly working out that way.

"Can we talk about how best to prepare for upcoming midterms?" Emma cringed at her own question.

Her midterm exams weren't until weeks away and she wanted Frank to see her as more than just a university student and here she was talking about her courses and exams. At least, he now knew her name for next time. _Good thing he isn't my professor but her advisor while she was a master's student, otherwise Jake would find a way to make 'them' into a huge deal as well. And of course, there would eventually be a 'them'._

"Wow. You are enthusiastic to be preparing for exams already. That is exactly what we like to see here," Frank replied. "Here, I have a few print outs on study tips and organizing your workload that should help you. My advice would be to just do a little bit every night and it should be fine."

"Thanks." Emma gave a weak smile as she headed towards the door.

* * *

Jake was having a horrible day. This was made worse by the headache that just wouldn't go away and his mind which kept travelling in all sorts of unwelcome directions. Along with teaching a couple of courses, part of his tenure at the University involved writing research papers on topics relating to effective policies and legal implications for 'ethics and corporate governance in the workplace'.

The topic he was currently looking into was regarding relationships in the workplace, especially when one of the involved was in a position of power over the other. The boss and employee scenario were a relatively common one but a definite human resources and legal nightmare. The entire basis of his research was to look at cases that had left one party vulnerable and how it had impacted them. Jake couldn't help but think what HR would make of this situation if Emma wasn't able to transfer out of the class. He was confident when Emma explained the concern they would make an exception since the university didn't like to put itself in a position where it could be exposed to unwanted negative publicity. Even if technically there wasn't anything illegal in the situation, it was still a very grey area and made for splashy news stories.

Jake knew Emma thought he was just overreacting and thinking of the worst-case scenario. The look she had given him was one he had seen before numerous times when she was dealing with her dad while he was overanalyzing an issue.

Jake sighed, "_great, now Emma equates me with her dad for getting worked up over every small thing."_

He had a legal background though, and even though now he focused more on managing the firm and bringing in new clients, he knew exactly how these things could go. He finally decided to stop his research for the day and head towards the apartment.

Jake came to an abrupt stop as soon as he entered the apartment. He could feel his face starting to heat up and his heart beat increase as he took in Emma bent over at the waist in some sort of a yoga position. All he could see was a long stretch of legs in fitted tights, followed by her ass that was perfectly encased in the yoga pants. Jake's eyes travelled further up her body to see a smooth bare stomach, followed by a skimpy black band that just barely covered her on top. Jake swallowed, acutely aware that he was looking at Emma in a very un-friend-like way. His body seemed to be disconnected from his mind because his mind was still screaming _this was Emma, _but his body was responding in a way to indicate interest, of the sexual kind.

He needed to dislodge the image of Emma, a desirable woman from his head, and replace it with the Emma, who was just a friend, with no thoughts of inappropriate relationships or skimpy yoga outfits. That was easier said than done since his eyes kept travelling back to her bare stomach while his hands wanted to reach out and see if her skin really was as smooth as it looked.

"What… what are you doing? And why are you doing it naked?" Jake finally spluttered out while trying his best to get his eyes to stop staring at her.

"Hey, Jake!" Emma replied cheerfully while continuing to twist her body in yet another yoga pose. "I'm just doing some yoga. Want to join? And I'm not naked, it's a sports bra." The last part was added almost as an afterthought.

"Well, I don't think you should be doing yoga in such a public place… while wearing that!"

Emma finally stopped and turned around to look at Jake quizzically. "What is wrong with my outfit? I think it's cute. And I'm doing yoga in my home, I didn't realize this was a public place."

"Well, it leaves your stomach bare." Jake knew he was being unreasonable, but he felt like his entire world had just shifted and Emma was just standing there calmly like there was no issue. He wanted her to be just as panicked as he felt, but if she couldn't manage full blown panic, even slight concern would be nice.

"Jake, you have seen me in a bikini before. I'm wearing full tights right now. Remember when we went on that family trip to the beach a few years back?"

_Family trip_. Jake latched onto that word like his life depended on it. Family, as in his brother who was married to her sister. As in the three nieces and nephews, they were aunt and uncle to, separately and not in an aunt and uncle unit kind of way. Her dad who trusted him enough to look out for his little girl. Or the Emma he had previously referred to as a 'little sister' and was, in fact, twelve years younger than him.

Jake closed his eyes and walked towards the kitchen for a glass of water, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, because it was not normal to be checking out Emma.

Emma was obviously feeling none of the tension Jake was because she followed him into the kitchen and reached over to get her own glass of water. Jake's water was abandoned as he scooted to the other side of the counter to maintain adequate space between their bodies.

Emma, in turn, didn't even notice. "I need to talk to you about something. I wasn't able to transfer out of the class."

That seemed to snap him out of his weird thoughts. "What do you mean? You told them you are living with your professor and it could potentially be a PR nightmare and they didn't let you transfer out?" Jake was starting to sound desperate but was the entire world just losing their mind? _Maybe it was just him losing his mind._

"Y…yes?"

"Emma," Jake said in a warning tone. "Please tell me you explained the situation to them."

"I told them there was a potential conflict of interest and I knew you," Emma defended hotly. "but I might have skipped over the living together part."

Jake could only stare at her in shock and anger. "Why? I told you this was important, and you promised you would take care of it."

"I didn't want Frank to get the wrong idea about our relationship." Emma finally mumbled while staring at her feet.

It took a few moments before he was able to form any coherent words. "You are telling me you didn't disclose the situation because of some guy? Another professor at that?"

"My program advisor. He isn't a professor. I don't know, Jake. I told him we knew each other, and he didn't think it was an issue. I still think you are just overreacting. I can't just drop the class because I will get an incomplete on my transcript and I don't want that."

Jake couldn't remember feeling this mad at Emma about anything before. He knew she was sometimes spoiled and usually got her way but even if she felt that he was overreacting, couldn't she see that this was a big deal to him. She enrolled in his class without discussing it with him and now she was refusing to drop the class.

Emma walked towards him and slowly reached out to touch his arm. "Jake, I'm sorry. I swear I won't let anyone find out about our living arrangement. No one knows where I live, and I won't bring any friends over. Having an incomplete on the transcript is the same as failing a class and it could ruin my chances of getting an internship."

Jake just shook his head before quietly replying. "You knew this was important to me. I don't want any doubt on my teaching ability or character."

"There won't be. You are a great teacher and have the strongest character of anyone I know. No one will find out, I swear. If you want, I could look for another place?" Emma replied just as softly while slowly rubbing her hand over Jakes' arm. She was standing close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off her body.

In the end, it was as it always was, and Emma got her way. She didn't even know that she had a new weapon at her disposal now and just how much her nearness was affecting his ability for rational thought.

Jake just shook his head, knowing this was a bad idea but doing it anyway. "No, I promised your dad. That was his entire basis for letting you move. Just don't invite people over I guess or talk about it and hope no one finds out."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I would love if you are reading to leave a quick review with any comments or suggestions. It really helps and keeps me motivated and gives me things to think about! Thanks for the follows and favoriting!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Emma had spent the next Business Ethics class sitting in the back trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. She hoped she gave off the perfect impression of not knowing Jake any more than any other student knew him. This wasn't something she ever had to worry about before but now that she was consciously aware of it she kept trying to figure out if she was giving off some unconscious clues.

She had sat next to Elton again since she didn't know anyone else in the class and this time it had been him trying to strike up a conversation throughout the entirety of the class. He seemed like a nice guy even if he tended to talk about himself a bit too much. Regardless, Emma was convinced that he would be perfect for Harriet and now she needed a way to get them together.

Her perfect plan for introducing her two new friends in a casual setting was over brunch and the plan had been set to meet up over the following weekend.

"I'm so excited to meet this Elton guy. What did you tell him about me?" Harriet asked excitedly as they made their way to the restaurant.

"Well, I haven't really told him anything about you. I just said a few friends are going for brunch and he should come. I wanted it to be casual, but I know you guys will hit it off and it will be great," Emma assured Harriet. "Trust me, that's how it happened with my other friend Taylor. We just met for drinks and dinner and her and the guy just completely hit it off."

"Wow, that must have felt so good for your intuition to be correct like that." Harriet was easily impressed but Emma didn't correct her since she was pretty sure she would have thought they were perfect for each other even if they hadn't immediately thought it themselves, regardless of what Jake had to say on the topic.

Once the girls were seated they continued their idle chit chat about school while waiting for Elton to join. It wasn't until almost thirty minutes had passed that Elton finally came in and sat down.

"Oh, you were serious about there being other people as well."

Emma frowned at his comment. _Why would she lie about something like that?_

She finally gave him a wide smile before saying brightly, "this is my friend Harriet. She is so excited to meet you."

Harriet gave Elton a shy smile, which he barely replied to before addressing Emma again. "So, what did you think about the last ethics class? I can't believe the prof's reply to my question about having to _help_ certain deals along in foreign countries, was that it's illegal. Is this guy for real? Something that is illegal here might just be the cost of doing business somewhere else. Don't you agree?"

Emma had gotten into a similar argument with Jake on this topic, but it just bothered her how Elton was always finding something to criticize about Jake. _That was her job. _She couldn't just let him think that she was agreeing with him though.

"Well slipping money to get a business deal done might happen in places but it is still bribery and it is still illegal. I don't think there will be anyone who will say that bribery is allowed. Unless it is an actual fee that is disclosed and fair for everyone, that is different, otherwise, it is unethical."

Elton snorted, "well that's great in theory but forget getting any actual business done then."

"It doesn't make it any more right though."

"I think you are being naïve to think it doesn't happen."

Emma could tell Harriet was getting bored so decided to change the topic. "I agree, but let's leave that discussion for class. So, Harriet is taking a psychology class for her elective. I remember you mentioning you were taking that as well."

"Of course. I think it is important to take classes from every faculty."

Harriet finally piped in shyly. "What are you majoring in while in university?"

Elton looked at her before giving a brief smile. "Business technically but I don't like to limit myself. I believe in education for education's sake. I don't understand why people think they should only study to find work. I'm planning on taking classes, so I can learn. I don't need the money, I'm going to inherit my dad's company one day."

Harriet looked confused before finally replying. "Oh, that's great. That sounds really great."

"Harriet is doing the master's in fashion with me," Emma offered. It didn't seem like Elton was planning on asking her about what she was doing.

"I can't believe you guys are actually studying that. I think that is a waste of time. No one in the fashion industry has any real education, and a lot of them just sleep their way to the top."

Emma didn't know how to react to that statement. It was clear by Harriet's expression that she was just plain angry at what his comment implied. Elton, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to the varying expressions of disbelief on their faces. This brunch wasn't exactly going as planned. Elton had seemed slightly annoying but mostly well-meaning in class but outside of class, he was just annoying.

Emma kept hoping that if they just managed to find something in common, things would be fine, and they would hit it off. She decided to just ignore his comment and try another topic. "So, have you guys seen any new movies lately?"

"I'm so excited for the new superhero movie. I'm a big fan of comic books," Harriet supplied.

"Oh, I don't watch things that are so commercial. I only read books that I feel will enrich my mind and only watch foreign language art films. They have so much more depth and richness than ones in English, don't you agree?"

Emma kept her smile on her face and just nodded but she noticed that Harriet was barely even paying attention and looked more interested in her food than the conversation at this point. _This was not what she had been hoping for._

Harriet finally looked up to mumble, "I'm just going to go to the washroom."

Emma wanted to protest but there wasn't much she could say to stop her from going to the washroom.

As soon as she had left the table, Elton slid closer to Emma in the booth and gave her a smile that made Emma feel slightly uncomfortable.

"So, isn't Harriet great? I think she would be perfect for you!" Emma got out in a rush.

"Harriet? Oh, you are so funny. Alright Emma, enough playing hard to get. I know you are interested, and I am obviously interested otherwise why would I bother showing up at such a dirty restaurant. Let's get rid of your friend and go back to my place."

"What!? Are you kidding me? I am definitely not interested." Emma was so astonished. Here she was trying to set up Elton with Harriet and he thought she was interested in him. Harriet would be just devastated when she found out.

"I know you are, otherwise why would you agree to go for lunch with me after class and ask me out today?" Elton asked while putting his arm around Emma and trying to pull her close.

Emma tried her best to get away from him, this was not what she wanted. "I was trying to get to know you better, so I could introduce you to my friend!"

"Why on earth would I want your friend? Especially this Harriet girl? I could do so much better," Elton sneered at her.

"Well so could I!" Emma finally burst out.

"You know what Emma. I don't have time for your games. When you are done playing games, you can call me, and we can discuss this again." Elton announced as he got up and left the table, leaving Emma behind completely shocked at him for assuming she was interested. _He didn't even pay for his food!_

Emma sat in miserable silence while waiting for Harriet to return. She could see her friend talking to a curly haired guy near the cash register. Emma started tapping her foot in impatience wondering what her friend had to talk about with some random guy.

Harriet finally returned to the table. "Oh, is that Elton guy gone? Well…"

Emma quickly interrupted, "Harriet, I'm so sorry, I don't think it is going to work with Elton. I don't know how to say this, but he thought I was the one interested in him. I'm not, I swear. I'll make this right for you."

"That's fine. Good riddance I say. He was kind of a jerk," Harriet just shrugged. "But man, I just met the most interesting guy, his name is Rob Martin. He works at the restaurant as a busboy but is an out of work accountant and he asked me for my number, and guess what? I gave it to him!" This last part was stated in a loud squeal as Emma sat in dismay.

"A busboy? O sweetie, please don't do that. We can find someone better. I will convince Elton of how great you are, don't worry. Just make up some excuse if this guy calls you and I'll try to do damage control here with Elton. I mean he's a busboy at a restaurant versus Elton obviously comes from a well-settled family and will own his own business one day. You should take all of those things into consideration."

Harriet was obviously not convinced but eventually agreed after Emma spent a (considerable) amount of time telling her about how Elton wasn't as bad as he had come across during brunch.

* * *

Jake had just finished a run and was putting together a sandwich and chips for lunch when Emma burst into the apartment.

"How was your brunch?" he asked while watching Emma make her way to the kitchen.

"Just horrible. The whole thing sucked. I was trying to set up Elton with Harriet and Elton thought I was interested in him instead. And then on top of that, Harriet gave her number to a busboy at the restaurant who does accounting or something, argh, it just sucked." Emma announced dramatically while stealing a chip from Jake's plate.

"Do you mean the Elton in my class? Why on earth would you want to set your friend up with him? He's an obnoxious jerk. Also, what is wrong with being a busboy or an accountant?" Jake wondered.

"I think Elton is just a little awkward but so is Harriet, so I think they would be good together. Also, there isn't anything wrong with being a busboy or an accountant, but come on, Harriet wants to be a fashion designer, she is definitely not going to get along with this guy." Emma announced.

"I say you just butt out and let them figure it out," Jake advised. "Also, Elton really is obnoxious." He just had to add the last part in.

Emma just ignored him as she continued to eat chips off his plate. She finally looked at him with a serious expression. "I'm glad we are talking again. I know you have been trying not to show it, but things have been weird, and I know you are still mad at me for not switching classes."

Jake just nodded and looked away. He couldn't exactly tell her that him avoiding her or spending most evenings in front of his computer instead of watching TV together was more because he feared being too close to Emma. It had been almost a week and the strange thoughts about Emma kept popping into his head at increasing intervals. Just when he convinced himself that Emma was his friend and was so much younger than him, he would notice something new about her and start thinking about the way she played with her hair while watching TV, or the way she was currently licking her lips while eating the chips. It was starting to become more than just an annoyance and was starting to enter the worrisome zone.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't still a little upset about the whole class thing, but for the most part, he had resigned himself to her being in his class and was just hopeful the semester would pass without anyone finding out or it becoming an issue. Since Jake's entire legal practice was based on employment and corporate cases, he was naturally more sensitive to the optics and potential impact of a situation. Emma might make fun of him for overreacting, but it was usually him advising corporations on what they could have or should have done instead to avoid getting into tricky situations, to begin with. The irony wasn't lost on him that he was currently doing all the things he generally advised his clients not to do. However, even if she couldn't change out of the class, he felt like he owed her dad to not abandon her with the living situation. There was no real point to explain all of this to Emma since she had already moved on to enjoying her university experience and Jake would just have to follow suit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Jake was just finishing up his lecture notes for the next class when there was a knock at his office door followed by a voice he recognized very well. "Professor Jake? Can I come in?"_

_Jake groaned, "Emma, I know you think it's funny, but can you stop calling me professor all the time?"_

_Emma walked in towards him with a saucy smile. "But you look like such a professor sitting at this big desk, surrounded by all these textbooks. Also, your tweed coat and glasses complete the look. Professor chic at it's finest."_

_Jake had walked around so he was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed watching Emma wander around the room and inspect his bookshelves. "So, what are you doing here, Em?"_

_Emma didn't reply as she walked up to Jake until she was standing directly in front of him. She slowly poked him in the chest and replied, "this time I'm actually here for some help. I didn't understand the last assignment or what it was asking. Can you explain it to me?"_

_Jake had captured her wrist as she poked him. Now he pulled her closer until Emma was pressed right up against him. He continued to hold Emma by her wrist, while she stood watching him with fascination instead of panic. His other arm went around her waist, so she stood imprisoned in his arms._

"_Well, that's going to cost you," Jake replied huskily as he slowly moved his lips towards her. Jake paused a few millimetres away wanting to give Emma a chance to refuse or push back. When she continued to stand there and blow soft breaths of air over Jake's lips, he moved in until his mouth was covering her._

_Jake quickly turned with Emma in his arms, so she was pressed up against the desk. He moved his hands to cradle her face as he continued to deepen the kiss. It slowly registered that Emma was kissing him back just as desperately as he was kissing her, and that made him feel bold and powerful._

_Emma groaned as he lifted his face to look down at her. He could see her eyes were closed and lips were still waiting for Jake to come back but this time Jake moved down so he was kissing her down her neck. His hands seemed to be functioning on their own and they were slowly opening the buttons of her shirt. Emma seemed to be completely following the script as her hands were just as busy opening the buttons on Jake's shirt._

_It was Jake's turn to groan as he felt Emma's hands slip inside his open shirt. He was in the process of removing Emma's shirt while still kissing her when he heard a faint ringing sound coming from a distance._

_..._

It took a few more rings before Jake realized his phone was ringing, and he slowly roused himself from sleep enough to stop the ringing phone and answer.

"Hey, took you long enough to answer. What's going on?"

Jake finally sat up in bed trying to dislodge the images going through his head, of a naked and willing Emma in his arms. He could hear his brother John on the other end of the line, but his mind hadn't caught up to what was being said on the phone. It might have only been a dream, but his body was reacting as if everything had been real. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest and his breath was still fast as if he had just finished a race.

"Jake are you there? Did you hear what I said about the new case we have?" John asked impatiently.

"No," Jake finally got out. "Sorry, I missed what you said. You woke me up from a deep sleep so I'm still a little foggy."

"Oh weird, I thought you were at the gym the way you were breathing. You are usually up before 9 am on the weekend," John added cheerfully. "So, how are things? How is Emma?"

"Emma?" Jake asked, suddenly alert. "Why would I know how Emma is? I'm not her keeper you know. It's Sunday morning, she is probably asleep. In her own room."

"Okay… was just making small talk. Are you feeling okay?"

Jake just gave a grunt in response. He couldn't exactly tell his brother he had been having an extremely vivid sex dream about John's sister-in-law. He knew just how protective John was of Emma and the cavalry would be out in full swing if they thought they needed to protect her from Jake of all people.

"So, I was just calling to tell you that we have a new case on our hand. Brown Industries contacted us to represent them on a hiring practice lawsuit. They also want us to advise in setting up a new corporate hiring practices guideline across their divisions. This is a pretty lucrative case and it can take us into the big leagues." Johns excitement was clear as he continued to talk about the details of the case and what would be required from them.

Normally Jake would have been completely engaged with the conversation and would have been taking notes. However, he was still having trouble concentrating so after asking a few key questions, he finally asked his brother to email him the remaining information. Jake finally hung up the phone and put his head in his hands.

He was in a lot of trouble. Henry Woodhouse was his mentor and had been almost like a father to him since his own father had passed away. He had asked Jake to look after his daughter because he trusted him. He even remembered a conversation where Jake himself had called Emma _basically his sister,_ and now he was lusting after her. It had now been long enough that he couldn't pass it off as a strange singular thought. Ever since that day he had walked in on Emma doing yoga, he had been having thoughts about her with increasing regularity.

Jake was starting to worry that he was in danger of falling for someone who was completely inappropriate for him. Even if he was able to get past the fact that both their families would have his head on a platter for even thinking of her in such a way and even forget about the fact that it really was unethical to be thinking about a student this way, she was still twelve years younger than him. Twelve years was long enough that she was only ten when he was finishing his undergraduate degree and starting law school. It was long enough that while Emma at twenty-two was studying and just starting her career, he was already approaching his mid-thirties and had an established business. For him to be even having these thoughts was out of line and for him to not be able to turn off his mind and focus on work was extremely rare.

Maybe the fact that he hadn't been dating much was making his body aware of anyone who was remotely female and near. His body was obviously not getting the message that the nearest person was not someone who was available for him. He was starting to look for her when he got home so he could share his day with her or would try to find her face in his classroom before he would force himself to look away.

Jake finally forced himself to get up and head towards the washroom to take a cold shower. _I am in some serious trouble here._

* * *

Attending Jake's class was starting to become difficult for Emma, not because she wasn't enjoying the content or Jake's teaching style, but because she was constantly trying not to give off any clues that she knew him on a personal level. She wasn't even sure how someone could tell just by a glance if one knew someone, but she wanted to make sure she was doing her part. Emma had taken to sitting in the back row and just keep her head down while taking notes for the duration.

In addition, Emma was trying her best to ignore Elton after the disastrous brunch a few weeks ago. She knew she wasn't successful because he was currently making his way right to Emma's seat. Emma groaned quietly, hoping he would just sit in the multiple empty seats along the way.

"I haven't seen you in the last few classes," Elton said as he sat down directly beside her.

Emma just shrugged, "I've been in class, but I've been pretty busy with my other courses."

Elton snorted as if the thought of her other courses possibly requiring any effort was laughable. _Why on earth did I think he was a nice guy._

Emma continued to sit in silence hoping he would get the message and just let her continue to listen to the lecture that was starting instead of trying to make conversation.

Once again, luck wasn't on her side as Elton leaned over to whisper. "Let's stop playing games. I know you have been playing hard to get and trying your little scheme with your pathetic little friend. Don't worry, I enjoy games and will go along but enough is enough. I'll pick you up from your place this Friday night and pack an overnight bag, so you can come back to my place."

Emma stiffened in outrage at the pompous jerk sitting beside her. "Look, I've already told you, I am not interested. I tried to set you up with my friend but obviously, I was very wrong. She is way too good for you and I'm so glad she was never interested to begin with."

She knew she wasn't being as quiet as she should be since a few students were turning around to stare at them, but she couldn't help herself from adding. "Listen closely Elton, I wouldn't date you if you were the last man available. I would never be that desperate. You are a conceited, stuck up, know it all, who is just annoying and has no manners. I was never interested in you and I can admit that I was wrong to think you could ever be good enough for my friend."

Emma quietly gathered her things to try to move seats without anyone noticing, however once again she wasn't successful when she heard Jake's voice from the front. "Is there a problem in the back?"

"No Ja… Sir… Professor… umm, Mr. Knightley." Emma stuttered out. She could feel her face turning bright red since every single eye in the classroom was currently focused on her.

"I needed to change seats," Emma finally mumbled. "there was some slime on this one."

This elicited a chuckle from the students who had been sitting around Emma and Elton and had overheard parts of the conversation. Elton was obviously not pleased to have people laughing at him and the glare that he directed towards Emma made it clear that he would not be trying to ask her out anymore.

Emma sat down in her new seat and gave Jake a wide smile before replying. "Sorry for interrupting. You may proceed now Mr. Knightley."

She could see Jake struggling with himself to say something back but finally just shook his head and turned back towards his presentation. This hadn't been Emma's greatest moment but at least she had Elton off her back now and she was pretty sure he wouldn't be bothering her anymore.

* * *

Jake was pretty sure he was losing his mind. He had been trying his best to concentrate on his course material, but he could see from the corner of his eye that Emma was not liking whatever Elton was saying to her. He had watched as she had completely stiffened and the outrage at his words was evident even across the room. Although he couldn't hear what they were talking about, he knew that Elton had asked her out before and was confident the conversation was something relating to that. Elton had struck a nerve with him ever since the first day when he had questioned Jake's suitability as a professor and since that day every interaction in the class had solidified his initial opinion of him.

It would have been more than a little suspicious if Jake had given in to his first instinct which was to protect Emma and get him away from her. Maybe even punch him in the face. Emma had gotten up to change seats which had given him the perfect excuse to at least find out if she was okay. It had been hard to contain his smile at her comment about having slime on her chair.

Regardless of the situation, Jake recognized that if he wasn't careful, it would be him who would say or do something to indicate a personal relationship with Emma. _I wonder what the university's policy was on a short-term professor dating a master's student in his class._

Jake shook his head to get rid of his thoughts since that was not what the issue was. Instead, he tried thinking of Emma when she was going through her annoying 'repeat everything you say' phase. If these one-sided feelings weren't bad enough, the fact that he had known her since she was a baby just made things even more awkward. Mixed between his feelings from the last few weeks were years of memories of family picnics and dinners with a precocious toddler, a bratty child, and a spoilt but well-meaning teenager. He had been around for a myriad of problems including helping her deal with the loss of her mother, act as a mediator between a host of arguments between father and daughter or be her champion when Izzy and John would leave her out of their plans. Things had worked out for Izzy and John, but they had gone through life's major milestones together giving them shared a experience and bond. Jake wasn't sure if he even wanted to be in a relationship or if that would even work, but all he knew was that he wanted her, and that was a problem he had to fix instantly.

As soon as his class ended, Jake headed towards the offices, looking for a particular office. He was really hoping she was available and would be the answer to all his problems.

"Jane. Hi." Jake said coming to an abrupt stop in front of Jane Fairfax's desk.

"Jake. Hey, I heard you had an interesting class today with Emma," Jane replied with a twinkle in her eyes.

Jake was startled at the comment, only just realizing that of course, Jane knew Emma as well. They both knew Jane's aunt and Jane had visited her often enough to be acquainted with her circle of friends which included both the Knightley's and the Woodhouse.

Jake finally realized his silence was starting to be awkward, so he just gave a smile and replied. "My class literally ended a few minutes ago, how do you know this already?"

Jane's only reply was a mysterious smile and a wink.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to go out?" Jake blurted out.

"Sure, let me grab my sweater. I could really use a coffee today."

"No… I mean yes to the coffee, but I meant did you want to go out with me on a date sometime? Maybe Saturday for dinner, if you are free?"

This time it was Jane's turn to stare at Jake in surprise. She seemed lost in thought for a few moments as if contemplating some complicated problem. Her features finally relaxed, and she smiled, "Yes. Both to the coffee right now and dinner on Saturday."

Jake sighed in relief. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she had said no, but now he was just desperate to divert his attention somewhere else.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate the feedback and thoughts. Would love to hear some thoughts on this chapter!

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**Chapter 8**

Emma and Harriet were currently in their Fashion Design program update. This was a general time once a week to go through any updates and issues with the student advisor. It was also Emma's favorite time each week since she got a chance to interact with Frank Churchill. She had moved past the point of awkward conversation to being her naturally charming self but even with all her top flirting moves Frank never treated her any differently than any other student in the group. She really needed something that made her stand out.

Emma was busy staring at Franks features while he was telling them about the upcoming mixer. "This mixer is your chance to impress potential employers. The internship positions will be coming up in the next few weeks and a lot of times the employers just skip the entire interview process and ask for someone they met at the mixer. Make sure you really bring your A-game to this."

"I'm so excited. I have already gone through the list of companies who are attending and looked up the profile for the people they are sending so I can be prepared," Harriet declared.

Emma had also been doing her homework and wanted to make sure she was able to secure the internship position of her choice. This mixer had the added benefit of allowing her to be all dressed up in front of Frank, and maybe getting a chance to talk to him outside of a classroom setting.

"I have already updated my resume and tailored them all towards specific companies. Do you think it would be a good idea to bring them to the mixer as well?" Emma wondered. She wanted to make sure Frank knew she was prepared.

Frank seemed to give this some thought before replying. "Well I wouldn't carry resumes around since it is supposed to be a social event, but if you have a purse that has the room, it wouldn't hurt to have a few on hand if you get asked for one. I would keep it discreet though since that isn't the general practice." Frank gave Emma a quick wink and smiled, "but I always say, any advantage you might have… no harm on capitalizing on it."

Emma could feel herself blushing at the wink he had just given her.

_Act casual, _she told herself but knew she wasn't being very successful at that.

"Hey, did you want to grab a coffee sometime? I would love to get some interview tips from you. I mean I've given interviews before but never for a position in the fashion industry and I want to get some thoughts of what kind of things they look for, how to dress, what to say, that type of thing?" Emma stated in a rush.

Frank gave her a quick smile. "Of course, I am always available for advice. I'll let you guys be and just let me know what time works."

Emma had to remind herself to breathe as Frank walked away. She had finally worked up the nerve to ask him for a coffee. He might not have looked any different than when he was talking to anyone else, but Emma was sure it was only a matter of time. In the meantime, she had more important things to worry about.

"Harriet, we have to go shopping on Friday. I need a new dress for Saturday and none of the ones I have is going to work. This is an emergency."

Harriet gave her a shy smile in return. "I actually can't. You remember that guy I met, Rob Martin? Well he called me that day and we have been talking since then and are going for dinner and a movie on Friday."

Emma felt a twinge of annoyance at this and she still wasn't sure if Rob was a good choice for Harriet. She obviously couldn't say anything when Harriet was clearly excited about this. Besides, it's not like her suggestion of Elton had worked out. She still needed someone to go shopping with on Friday because suddenly none of the dresses she owned were good enough for this mixer. She wanted to make sure that not only the employers noticed her, but Frank did as well. _She would just have to convince Jake to go with her._

* * *

"But Jake, why can't you go shopping with me? You already said you don't have any plans in the evening. I need someone to give me an honest opinion of what I look like." Emma knew she was whining but couldn't Jake understand how important this was to her.

"I really want to make a good impression on Frank. I want him to see me as more than just one of the people he is advising." Emma added, confident Jake would be willing to help her out.

"Frank? You are still hung up on him?" Jake asked in a flat tone. Emma looked at him curiously, wondering about the sudden mood change in him. He had seemed perfectly fine a second ago when Emma was trying to convince him to go to the mall with her. She knew it wasn't his favorite thing to do but this was for a good cause.

"Of course, I am still hung up on him!" Emma declared while carefully watching him for clues for what he was thinking.

"Come on, I'll buy you dinner. We haven't really gotten a chance to spend much time together," Emma added earnestly. "I know you want to avoid being seen with me, but we are going to a boutique mall away from the University. We won't run into anyone we know. At least we can catch up over dinner. I miss you, Jake."

Jake looked up at her admission, so they were staring directly at each other. A few moments passed before Jake closed his eyes. "It isn't that I don't want to spend time with you, Emma. I didn't want you to think that I was avoiding you. Things just seem a little complicated but sure let's go to the mall, buy you a fancy dress to impress this Frank guy, and get dinner." This last part was added almost ruefully.

Emma wanted to question him further about what exactly was complicated, but Jake was still staring at her pensively. He seemed to be in a strange mood and she didn't want to risk him changing his mind again, so she decided to stay quiet.

A short while later she dragged a reluctant Jake into one of her favorite stores for dresses. They had a wide selection of party wear for every taste and mood. Emma wasn't sure what kind of dress to buy to make a good first impression. It wasn't looking like Jake was going to be much help, he had barely talked on the way over and was now listlessly scanning the dresses.

"Okay, what do you think of this black dress?" Emma asked while holding a short dress in front of him.

"It looks fine. Try it on," came the uninterested reply.

Emma frowned. There was no way she was going to find a dress if Jake refused to even pay attention. She couldn't do this on her own.

Emma tried again, "What about this red one? It's pretty long but has a thigh-high slit."

Jake finally looked over and studied the dress before replying, "it's nothing special. It certainly doesn't have that wow factor you want."

At least he was finally acting like the usual Jake and paying attention. "Okay Jake, what dress would you pick for me?"

Jake studied her for a few moments before starting to wander around the store going through different racks. He finally stopped before a row of green dresses and pulled one out in her size.

"Green?"

"It makes your eyes look greener. This color looks good on you." Jake replied with a shrug.

Emma was startled at his response, not really expecting him to notice a detail like that. The dress was an off the shoulder satin dress with a V in the front which nipped in at the waist and flared out at the waist. It was the perfect mix of sophisticated with Emma's flirty dressing style. She was impressed by the selection, especially since Jake had picked it out in his first try.

"I think I'm going to try it on. Don't go anywhere, I need to know if you approve." Emma declared before heading towards one of the large dressing rooms at the back of the store.

A few moments later Emma was trying to get the zipper unstuck. It had caught in the fabric and wouldn't budge.

"Jake," Emma hissed. "Jake you have to get in here."

Emma peeked out the door to see Jake giving her a dubious look before coming towards her. She slowly moved aside to let him in. His sharp intake of air made her look back to see him frozen at the entrance.

"Emma, let me call one of the sales people." Jake began while trying to back out of the room.

Emma quickly pulled him by the shirt to bring him in and shut the door behind him.

"I can't call one of the sales ladies. The zipper is stuck, and I don't want them to think I did something to the dress. You have to help me."

Jake still hadn't said anything, and Emma turned to see him watching her again. She could feel a blush coming on as she realized that the zipper was completely open, exposing her entire back. Since the dress wasn't zipped, it was also gaping visibly in the front. Only her nude bra kept her decent.

Emma turned around, so Jake wouldn't see her blush, only to turn towards the mirror and see the image they presented. Her blonde hair and pale skin contrasted with his darker head of hair. Jake was more than a head taller than her, making her feel completely engulfed by his presence in the changing room. He was standing directly behind her watching her in the mirror and Emma was mesmerized by the intensity she saw in his eyes. She was confident he had never looked at her like this before as if there was nothing or no one on earth except for her. The gold flecks in his brown eyes seemed more pronounced and twinkled at her with a depth of emotion she couldn't identify.

She watched him audibly swallow as his hands went up to rest around her waist. The small gasp that escaped her lips as his hands made contact sounded loud and jarring in the silence of the room. However, neither of them looked away from each other's eyes, completely entrapped by the reflection in the mirror. Jake moved his hand, so his fingers lightly rested on her exposed back. Emma could feel her heartbeat increase ten folds, confused by what was happening and unsure of her own response to the moment. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to turn in his arms and press herself more deeply against his body.

The only saving grace was that she could tell Jake was breathing just as deeply as her, indicating that he was just as transfixed by his hand on her back.

"Emma," Jake whispered, shattering the silence in the room.

Emma instinctively closed her eyes, trying to hide her reaction from being visible to Jake. However, the only thing that did was make her even more aware of his presence, the heat of his body behind her, the pressure of his hand at her back. She clenched her hands into fists to stop herself from either pushing Jake away or pulling him even closer. Emma felt a tug at her back and then the zipper was sliding up her back with Jakes fingers trailing over her back.

He deliberately hadn't removed his fingers from her back and as light as the touch was, the effect it had on Emma was instantaneous and magnified. Emma opened her eyes again to see Jake watching her with a depth of emotion and confusion in his eyes.

Emma held her breath and stood completely still, curious to see where the moment would go and not wanting to do anything that would shatter the trance they were in. His hands now rested on her shoulder and she watched as he slowly leaned forward as if to kiss her on the neck. Time stood still as he came even closer, allowing her enough opportunity to move away or stop him if she chose. He was finally close enough that she could feel his breath against her ears.

"You look beautiful Emma. Buy the dress," Jake whispered.

The dialogue seemed to bring both back to their senses and she watched in the mirror as Jake moved back and closed his eyes briefly before adding. "Frank would be an idiot not to take notice of you in this."

Jake quickly left the dressing room, leaving Emma behind to stare at her reflection in the mirror.

_What the hell had just happened?_

* * *

Emma quickly took off the dress and changed back into her regular clothes, however she sat back down on the dressing room bench, unable to face Jake without gathering her composure. She had gone from being amused at his reluctance to help her, to feeling completely unsettled and confused by his presence. Undoubtedly, she had never noticed his body or considered how they looked standing next to each other. She had certainly never noticed his hands with that detail or wanted them to slip inside her open dress and touch her. The Jake in the dressing room had been one she had known but someone else at the same time. This Jake was studying her intently and even with Emma's limited experience with men, she could tell it was desire making his eyes darken.

The part that was even more surprising was Emma's own response to him. The evening had started out with her trying to find a dress to impress Frank but now she could barely remember what Frank even looked like. Her only thought was of Jake, the look in his eyes, the feel of his body, the heat of his hands, and the brush of his fingers running up her back.

Emma finally took a deep breath and stood up on shaky legs. She felt as if her entire world had just shifted and everything she had thought had changed. She wasn't even sure what exactly had changed but she only knew that it would never shift back to exactly how it had been before. _Nothing had even happened. _

There was a possibility she had imagined the whole thing and was reading way too much into it. Jake had told her to buy the dress for Frank's sake. For all the experience she had with men, maybe he was just frustrated with having to act as her personal shopper and now help her with the zipper. The best course of action would be to ignore the whole thing, and if Jake happened to say something, she would figure that out then.

Emma quickly paid for her dress and rushed out of the store to find Jake sitting at a bench inside the mall, looking intently at his cell phone screen.

"There you are, I was looking for you everywhere," Emma's voice sounded high pitched even to her own ears, but it was the best she could manage.

Jake didn't even look up as he said, "if we are done shopping, can we head home now? I'll take a rain cheque on the dinner for tonight."

Emma could feel her smile slipping but she didn't want Jake to think she had been affected by whatever had just happened. She nudged his shoulder with her own and replied as cheerfully as she could manage, "sounds good, how about we go home, and I can make that pasta you liked last week. Maybe we can watch a movie or something."

Jake gave her a small smile, "sure. If you don't mind cooking. I might drop you off and head to the university. I forgot to grab the essay's I need to mark."

"I'll wait for you at home for dinner," Emma replied.

The loud snort and clap that came from behind them caused both to jump and turn back to see Elton Brown sitting on the other side of the mall bench listening to their conversation.

"Well, now I see why you didn't want to go out with me. You were obviously too busy sleeping with the teaching staff instead. So, tell me Emma, is this a one professor kind of thing or do you share your favors with everyone giving you marks?" Elton asked in a nasty voice.

Emma could feel the blood draining from her face but before she could say anything, a visibly angry Jake had Elton by the collar. "The reason Emma wouldn't go out with you is that you are a weasley, pathetic, low life. How dare you imply those things about her. I will break your nose if you say any of these stupid things about her."

Emma had to physically pry Jake's hands away from Elton and push him back. "Jake, calm down. What are you doing?"

Elton didn't seem fazed by Jake's threats but instead just smiled. "Well isn't this just cute, here you are defending your, what? Girlfriend? Lover? Booty call? And she obviously has you wrapped around her fingers. I wonder what the Dean would have to say about this relationship? Oh wait, I wonder what the other students will say when they find out there is no way they can compete against Emma here for the top marks. The ethics professor is sleeping with his students. Trust me, this isn't staying contained."

Elton just laughed as he made his way away from the two of them, leaving Jake visibly fighting for control. Jake was not generally prone to violence but at this moment, Emma wasn't sure if she would be able to stop him if he decided to go after him. The last thing this situation needed was assault charges against Jake. Emma had a horrible feeling that this was just the start of their problems. All the things Jake had predicted would come true and it would be all her fault.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews for last chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Emma spent the entire night tossing and turning, alternating between thoughts of Jake taking her into his arms and the fallout from Elton's threats. It was a toss-up for which train of thought was more worrisome. The first was just odd to think you could know someone your entire life and then see them as something different in the span of a few moments. Emma was pretty sure Jake had been just as caught up in the spell, but afterwards, he hadn't done or said anything to indicate it was more than a passing moment. Undoubtedly, even thinking about Jake in that way was a bad idea for so many reasons she wasn't even sure where to start. The only reasonable thing to do was to push it out from her mind and focus on the bigger more immediate problem.

They hadn't said more than a few words to each other on the drive back, but the way Jake was clutching the steering wheel while driving was a strong indication of his anger. Not really knowing what to say, Emma had stayed quiet as well. Jake had gone to his room and spent the rest of the evening with his door closed. Emma wasn't even sure if he had dinner since he hadn't emerged from his room even though she had waited until almost midnight, so they could talk.

Finally forcing herself to get out of bed, Emma made her way outside to see Jake sitting at the counter eating cereal. Emma wasn't sure how to approach him or what to say, he looked completely shut off and aloof, not giving any indication he had noticed her presence in the kitchen.

Emma took a deep breath and finally approached him. "Jake, we need to talk about what happened yesterday."

It was unclear if he was going to reply at all until he finally directed his gaze towards her and spoke. "What did you want to talk about?"

_Would you have kissed me if I had turned around in your arms?_

"About Elton and his threats. I think we should reach out to him and explain that we are not in a relationship and you are almost like an older br… friend." Emma had referred to him as an older brother countless times in the past, but suddenly the word had gotten stuck in her throat. There was no doubt she would never be using that word to describe him again.

Jake raised his eyebrow at her stumble but otherwise didn't acknowledge it, for which she was very glad.

"What difference would it make Emma? Do you think he would be willing to listen or even care? He has had something against me right from the beginning and with you turning him down, he doesn't seem like the type to let things be." Jake sighed, "the thing with rumours is that you don't really need too much for them to spread. This rumour has enough truth in it for it to be believable."

"But what are we going to do?"

"Nothing. You have your mixer tonight, where you will knock _Frank's _socks off."

Emma was certain there was a note of disdain in Jakes tone when he said Frank's name.

Jake continued with a shrug. "I have a date tonight with Jane Fairfax. We will see what happens on Monday and then figure out what we need to do."

_Jane Fairfax?_ He hadn't mentioned a date earlier, but it was obvious she was reading way too much into the dressing room incident. Arguably, even if he had felt something in that moment, it wasn't like he would ever act on it. She was twelve years' younger than him which would automatically preclude her from anything more than a friend. Emma wasn't even sure if she would want something to happen, but she was just so curious about what it had meant. If Jake had, in fact, felt anything similar, and importantly, what would have happened if she had turned around in his arms. Regardless of her own conflicted thoughts, she knew with a certainty that Jake would consider he was breaching her father's trust and his own moral code, meaning it was useless to even wonder.

Adding even more complication was this Elton situation, Jake would be able to live with himself if there were rumours maligning his character if he could confidently say they were nothing but rumours. It would be a different thing entirely if there was even a kernel of truth to them. He took great pride in his reputation and character and would hate himself if he thought he hadn't lived up to his expectations.

"I guess so. I'm sorry Jake, I should have listened to you when you tried to warn me. I should have tried harder to switch out of the class or discussed it with Frank. It was stupid of me."

Jake nodded his head in acknowledgement. "It isn't all your fault. I should have tried on my end as well. I could have discussed it with Nathan to get his help. Neither of us pursued the moving out option either. I'm sure we both could have done things differently, but it is what it is."

* * *

Jake contemplated cancelling his date multiple times throughout the day but didn't want to cancel last minute without a legitimate excuse. Besides, the alternative was sitting at home knowing Emma was out with her precious _Frank Churchill_ or worrying about what would happen next week. He really wished he had taken the chance to punch Elton in the face. It obviously wouldn't have helped the situation, but it would have made him feel a lot better.

Jake deliberately left the apartment when he heard Emma starting to get ready. He didn't want to have a repeat of the zipper incident or watch her get ready. His brain had obviously taken leave in that fitting room. He had been so close to putting his arms all the way around her or turning her around to kiss her. What's worse was that he wasn't sure if Emma would have stopped him. She had been looking back at him with wonder, curiosity, and most dangerous of all, desire. Additionally, he had felt her eyes on him multiple times throughout the day as if they were involuntarily searching for confirmation.

Obviously, he had tried his best to act like he hadn't noticed, but it all added up to a very bad idea. Hence the pressure on tonight's date being a success had just increased significantly. Jake had picked a quiet and sophisticated Italian restaurant for the dinner.

Upon picking Jane up at her place, Jake was glad he hadn't cancelled. She looked gorgeous in a simple fitted black dress that walked the line between being demure yet sexy. The smoky eye shadow and red lipstick gave her a mature and classy look. This educated, cultured, and age-appropriate woman was exactly the type of woman Jake should be dating, not thinking about someone who was twelve years younger than him.

The dinner was going well and even if Jake wasn't fully engaged in the conversation, there still weren't many awkward pauses or silences. They had known each other through her aunt and then had spent time together over coffees at the university. It was enough of a foundation to feel comfortable and enjoy the time.

"Let's get some dessert and coffee." Jake offered, pleased that the evening had helped distract him from his multiple problems.

"I really shouldn't but fine, you convinced me," Jane replied with a smile. "So how is Emma doing? I haven't seen her in a while but how is she enjoying her classes?"

Jake felt his entire body twitch at Jane's question. Things had been going well but now everything just came crashing down on him. It was always a bit of a shock to realize that Jane knew Emma as well. Jake decided to confide at least some portions to Jane. He knew she could be trusted, and he might need an ally if things went as he suspected.

"Emma is doing well. She is my roommate." Jake began cautiously.

"Oh, isn't she also in your class?" Jane asked, the curiosity clear on her face.

Jake nodded, "Yes. She registered into the class right on drop deadline and wasn't able to switch out to something else." Jake thought for a few moments before carefully continuing, "Elton overheard us at the mall yesterday about living together and assumed we are in a relationship."

Jane laughed at his admission, "the thought of you two thinking of each other that way is hilarious for anyone who knows you guys."

The laughter elicited a frown on Jake's face. _The thought of them together wasn't that odd, was it?_

He forced himself to relax his features and continue. "He's had something against me right from the beginning, and he asked Emma out a few times where she turned him down. Regardless, both of us are not his favorite people and he has threatened to spread rumours about us."

Jane stopped laughing and looked at him with concern. "That isn't good Jake. The university doesn't look kindly at professor and student relationships. It is really bad for their reputation since it implies favoritism and unfair advantage etc. Also, you are teaching business ethics and human resources related issues, so this will definitely cause a scandal."

"Yes. I know all of that. I just don't know what to do about it. I was going to wait until the week started to see what the damage is."

Jane just nodded, "I guess that makes sense. Nothing you can do at this moment. I will try to help you anywhere I can but hope it doesn't become an issue."

Jake gave her a weak smile, glad for the show of support, but unsure that her optimism would help him much. The date had been going so well but the questions about Emma had him thinking about her all over again. He had a sneaking suspicion that even though Jane had fun as well, she wasn't in any danger of falling for him either. The entire evening had been in line with any other meeting between friends. Jake acknowledged it wasn't fair to ask Jane on further dates in the hopes she help him forget about his other problems. _Why couldn't there have been a romantic spark between them?_

* * *

Emma's evening wasn't going as well since she couldn't get her mind to cooperate or completely relax. Usually, she would be confident and fearless enough to approach one of the many potential employers and be able to talk about herself to showcase her skills. However, today her mind was preoccupied with so many different things that she couldn't muster up more than a vague smile and general small talk.

Emma watched Harriet as she approached her with a drink in hand. The copper color dress Harriet wore suited her and highlighted her light brown hair. "I'm exhausted from shaking so many hands and doing the introduction. I have quite the collection of business cards. How are things going with you?"

She just shrugged, "not bad. I have met some promising people and hopefully one of the connections leads to a good internship."

"Well hello ladies, how is the evening going?" Frank asked as he joined the twosome. He looked extremely handsome in his light grey suit and bowtie. Emma would normally be enthralled by his slicked back blonde hair making him look sophisticated and charming. However tonight she couldn't help herself from comparing his features with Jakes. Frank was more handsome in a classic, obvious way and yet it was Jake's eyes and face that kept swimming through Emma's mind. Jake was taller than Frank with broad shoulder perfect for resting one's head against. His dark brown hair and eyes might seem more ordinary, but one could tell an entire story from Jake's eyes alone. His thoughts, moods, or feelings were all quietly reflected in them if one knew what to look for.

Harriet was enthusiastically telling Frank about the people she had talked to and asking when the right time would be to follow up about potential positions. Emma on the other hand was barely paying attention. She was worried about what next week would bring.

The guilt of putting Jake into this position was eating away at her. He had graciously taken part of the blame, but Emma knew she was the one who had thought it would be hilarious to surprise him by showing up in his class, not fully understanding the optics of the situation. Now it was his position that would be in bigger jeopardy. _I guess the joke is on me now._

"Emma are you okay? You seem a little distracted." Frank was looking at her with concern.

She forced herself to smile. "Yes, just a little tired."

"Well you look great in that dress," Frank offered kindly.

Normally she would be analyzing the compliment, looking for hints that statement proved a romantic interest but this time she couldn't get herself to care as much. She had initially set out to find a dress to impress Frank, but she instinctively knew that no matter what happened, she would always think of Jake when looking at this dress.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Jake wasn't sure what he had been expecting but he had visions of a mob waiting for him at the campus entrance for a good old-fashioned crowd lynching. In fact, it ended up being basically like any other day until he entered his Business Ethics class. The onslaught of whispers was enough to let him know they had not been spared and the students were discussing the rumours about their professor's inappropriate relationship.

He quickly glanced to the back of the room to see a visibly shaken Emma sitting in a corner by herself. She looked so vulnerable and alone in that moment that Jake had a crazy impulse to go to her and provide comfort. The best thing he could do was go ahead with his plan and hope the whispers began to die down.

Jake cleared his throat and began his class. "Okay class, we are more than half way done the class. By now you should have submitted your topic for your research paper. There are still some students who haven't gotten their topic approved. Keep in mind the paper is due the same week as your final exams so I would suggest starting on it early."

A lazy drawl could be heard from the back of the room. "I'm a little worried about how my paper and exam will be graded, since I'm not female and wouldn't be of any interest to you, Professor." Jake looked up to see Elton smirking at him as he made the comment.

This seemed to open the flood gates and gave permission to other students to pipe up with their comments.

"Well I am female but have never even visited Mr. Knightley's office before, so I don't think you can imply that all female's have an advantage." A small red head from the front piped in.

Elton laughed, "you are right I suppose. Maybe not all females but I know for a fact that certain females will get compensated for keeping Mr. Knightley satisfied."

"Do you think it's someone in the room right now?" another student wondered out loud.

"I heard that Mr. Knightley propositioned a number of students but only a few said yes to giving _special favors_."

"A few? I'd heard there was only one and they had been carrying on a torrid affair ever since he became her Professor."

Jake briefly closed his eyes, while trying to remind himself to keep calm and not react. He was glad that at least Emma's name wasn't attached, and it was just him the rumours were targeting. This didn't mean that he trusted Elton would keep that to himself but at least for now she was spared. Jake desperately wanted to turn and look at Emma to see how she was reacting, but he feared implicating her any further.

"There is no truth to any of these rumours, I would appreciate it if you refrain from repeating this nonsense any further and focus on our topic for the day. Our lecture today is on 'gender discrimination' laws and policies."

Elton piped up once again. "Well this is a perfect example of a gender discrimination issue. I wonder what your take would be on these _rumours." _The last part was put in air quotes to emphasize the rumours.

Jake ignored this and ploughed ahead with his lecture, acutely aware of the whispers and lack of attention from the students. He had been tried in the court of public opinion and had been found guilty. They didn't need proof for this story to spread and the truth was that even he had to admit how bad it looked. He couldn't deny that he was a much older man living with a young, attractive, roommate, who also happened to be his student.

What's more, even if nothing untoward had ever happened between them, the nightly dreams and thoughts were indicative that he wanted something to, which was just as bad.

The class passed excruciatingly slowly with occasional comments, whispers, and laughter from students. From what he could tell, the bigger discussion was trying to determine if the rumours were true and if he had ever shown favoritism towards any particular student versus anything he was teaching in class.

He was finally able to leave the room and just wanted to get to his office and try to figure out what to do. Barely a few steps later, he was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.

Jane was looking at him with concern. "Jake, are you okay?"

By this point, he was used to her always knowing what went on in his classroom and tried his best to offer her a smile. "Yes. I knew this was coming. You seem to be plugged in to everything that happens around here, tell me the truth, how bad is it?"

Jane paused for awhile which gave Jake the answer he needed. "It is really bad Jake. The rumours are everywhere, and they are being openly discussed. I have heard all sorts of stories from multiple sources and they seem to be growing in absurdness." Jane stopped and looked at him imploringly, "You have to talk to Dr. Weston about this. He might be able to help and even if not, he needs to know in case the story gets out further to the University."

Jake had known in the back of his mind he would have to disclose this to Nathan Weston. Truth was, he was ashamed and didn't know how to bring this up with his old professor, especially while knowing it was Nathan who had referred him to the position.

Straightening his shoulders, he took a fortifying breath and figured he might as well do that sooner rather than later.

Now that he had made up his mind to have this discussion, it was a relief to see Nathan in his office. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to work up his nerve some other time.

"Nathan are you free for a few moments?"

"Jake, come in," the smile Nathan gave indicated he hadn't heard anything yet. "It's good to see you. I've been in meetings all morning and just got out. I could use a good catch up."

Jake closed the door behind him as he entered. "Nathan, I'm not here for a chat. I need to tell you something and just know that I take full responsibility for my actions and am very sorry for breaking your trust." Jake sighed as he made his way to one of the chairs across Nathan's desk. "There are vicious rumours circulating that I am having an inappropriate relationship with one of my students."

Nathan didn't say anything for a few moments until he finally asked in a quiet voice. "And are you Jake?"

"No! Of course not. But that doesn't really matter, and the truth is that the situation doesn't look good." Jake hung his head in shame as he continued. "My friend Emma that you met at the beginning of the semester is also my roommate."

"Yes. Taylor had mentioned that to me, but I thought she was doing a masters in fashion design."

"She is. They are required to take an elective from a different faculty and she thought it would be fun to take my class, not fully realizing how it would look to others."

Nathan nodded his head in thought. "I would expect you would have been able to see this and advised against it."

"It was already past the drop deadline," Jake replied defensively. "Regardless, I should have known better. I'm older and I work in this field and see these cases come through daily. I should have pushed harder or discussed it with you. I take full blame. I got complacent."

"Jake, I don't know what to say. I believe you when you tell me there isn't anything inappropriate going on, but it could easily be argued that there is still a conflict of interest and favoritism or unfair advantage just by virtue of you two living together. You should have told me this when it happened. I would suggest to just lie low for now but if these rumours gain traction there could be an internal investigation and disciplinary action."

Jake nodded, fully understanding the consequences of the situation. "Would it help if we are no longer living together?"

Nathan pondered this for a few moments before shaking his head. "If one of you were to suddenly move, it would make you appear guiltier. As if you had something to hide which is why you suddenly moved right when the rumours came out."

"You are right. I'm sorry Nathan. I really am. You provided me with this opportunity and I was careless with it."

"Jake, I know you. I know you are a good man, but rumours have a way of destroying things and the next couple of weeks might not be pleasant but hopefully that is where it ends."

Jake very much hoped so as well.

* * *

Even though they hadn't been directed at her, Emma was so shaken by the taunts in Jake's class. She couldn't believe people could say such cruel things. It had been horrible that she couldn't stand up and defend Jake, as that would just make things even worse. Jake had been at the front, standing tall and proud, but she could see how he was being affected internally.

_Why hadn't I just taken that stupid Psychology class with Harriet instead?_

Furthermore, she knew Elton was just toying with them by not revealing Emma's name. It was only a matter of time before she became involved as well. Even recognizing societies double standards would makes things hard for her on a personal level, this would affect Jake's professional reputation and career far more than her own. She could handle people calling her names or implying she was sleeping with an older man, but she could not handle the thought of ruining Jake's teaching dream.

"Oh man, did you hear the rumours about some professor who has been sleeping with his students?" Harriet asked excitedly as she rushed over to join Emma. "I wonder which professor this is. He's probably all old and wrinkly. Ooo… so juicy."

Emma could barely contain the tears as she rushed from the room before she completely lost control. In her haste, she didn't notice Frank coming down the hall and ran directly into him.

"Woa, careful there. Emma? Are you crying?" Franks voice changed from his teasing tone to one of concern as he took in her tear stained face. He could clearly see a student on the verge of a breakdown and steered her towards his office.

"Emma? Emma Woodhouse?" another voice joined them as Emma tried to take deep breaths and not cry any further. She didn't want Jake to hurt and knew she was the reason he was having to deal with all of this.

"Jane?" Frank's shocked voice filtered through Emma's thoughts to look up at Jane Fairfax standing in front of her.

"Frank? What are you doing here?" Jane asked. It was obvious the two knew each other and were shocked at running into each other.

A long silence followed this question before Frank gave a half-hearted shrug and replied, "I knew you worked here, so I got a job as well as a student advisor. But you never returned any of my calls, so I couldn't tell you and then I didn't know if you would want to see me, so I stopped trying to contact you." Frank murmured while continuing to stare at Jane.

The two seemed to be lost in their own world with both staring at each other in a way that made Emma feel like she was intruding on a private moment. A sniffle from Emma caused Jane to finally break eye contact and look towards the younger woman.

"I didn't know you were looking for me. My number changed so I didn't get any of your messages. Right now, I looked up Emma's class schedule and came to find her. I wanted to make sure she was okay." Jane replied quietly.

"What is going on? Is everything okay? Is there something I can do to help?" Frank asked, while looking between the two women.

Jane looked away, suddenly uncomfortable and not wanting to reveal anything more. Emma didn't see any point in hiding it from Frank, especially since she was clearly not fine, and ended up telling Frank the entire story behind the rumours.

"Why didn't you tell me that part when you asked to switch the class," Frank wondered.

"I don't know. I thought Jake was over reacting and it wasn't that big of a deal." Emma whispered, feeling ashamed.

"Okay, well nothing that can be done about it now. How about you skip this class and just go home. Hopefully, things will start dying down and your name won't come up. I'll keep an eye out for you and try to do what I can to divert the rumours," Frank responded with a sigh.

Emma slowly nodded as she made her way out of the office, leaving Jane and Frank behind as they clearly had many things to discuss about their own past.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. I had no idea how much encouragement they provide. I get excited about the story all over again. If you are reading, even a super short review would be great!**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Emma kept hoping the rumours would start to decrease or fade but as the week progressed, she heard mention of the 'Professor having an affair with one of his students' from all sorts of people. There still wasn't any mention of who the student was, although multiple theories existed about that as well. She had heard everything from mention of a single student the professor was madly in love, where he just hadn't been able to help himself but give in to the feelings. These stories were generally mentioned with a sigh about just how romantic the whole thing was. On the opposite end of the spectrum were stories that made Jake sound like a depraved assailant of young women. Emma wanted to yell at people that he was the most honorable person she knew, and she used to make fun of him for being so straight-laced, but Jake had forbidden Emma even mention they knew each other.

Ironically, Jake had received propositions from multiple female students during the week. It wasn't too surprising given how young and good looking he was. The whole situation would have been almost funny if it wasn't all so heartbreaking. Emma was essentially at fault for ruining his entire reputation and career and although he tried to put up a brave face she knew how badly affected he was by the whole thing.

That evening, Emma came home to see Jake sitting in the dark living room flipping through TV channels without watching anything. He seemed so aloof and pensive, and she contemplated if he just needed to be alone to process through whatever had happened during the day. She discarded that idea, wanting him to know she was there to talk to and for support if nothing else.

"Jake?" she tentatively walked towards him and sat down on the couch in the dark. "How was it today?"

Jake closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the couch. "No better or worse than the rest of the week has been, I guess."

"So basically, just horrible?" Emma tried to joke to hopefully lighten the mood, to no avail.

"I don't know, I have walked multiple clients through different situations like this. Some of them with even bigger reputational impact. I mean thankfully I am not some sort of celebrity or public figure who would face the media and such, but it is still very different talking a client through it and going through it myself." Jake began thoughtfully, "I know realistically speaking, give it until next semester and people will forget or there will be another story out there. This is just week one, but I just want to scream at people that we haven't even done anything wrong and this isn't fair."

Emma looked away guiltily, knowing she had been having some confusing thoughts about Jake as more than just a friend recently. "Right, and it's not like we ever will be doing any of the things people are accusing us of."

Jake didn't say anything for awhile before finally replying, "no, we wouldn't be."

Emma wasn't sure what had been going through his head during that pause, but she quickly went ahead with the conversation. "Why do you suppose Elton hasn't mentioned my name yet? I haven't heard anything yet."

"Who knows? Maybe he thinks if it wasn't for me you would have gone out with him? Or maybe he is just playing a game and is enjoying watching us squirm? Regardless, I would be careful. I think it is just a matter of time."

Emma nodded in the dark, since she had a similar feeling that it wasn't a matter of _if_ but _when_. "He's a bully."

She could feel Jake turn his head, so he was looking at her in the light from the television. "Normally I would say to stand up to a bully. But in this case, I'm hoping ignoring him and staying quiet will be better."

Emma continued to stare at the TV screen even though she could feel Jake's eyes on her studying her profile. She could feel her heartbeat racing, wanting to know what Jake was thinking while knowing it wasn't a good idea to ask.

They sat in silence for awhile longer before Jake finally broke the spell. "I'm thinking of resigning from my position. I know I was supposed to be here for another semester but there doesn't seem to be any point. I will constantly have to justify any mark I give and every time there will be a student who is unhappy, the whispers about favoritism will start again. I'm lucky that I have somewhere else I can go, and I want to go before the rumors start spreading off campus."

"No, you can't do that," Emma exclaimed loudly. "That will just validate the rumours, and everyone will think you were forced out by the University because you were guilty. You are the best person I know Jake; how dare they accuse you of being so dishonest."

Jake gave a rueful chuckle. "Thanks, Em. I know how it will look and I'll still be here until semester-end but not for exams. I'm pretty sure they would have had someone else marking the final papers and exams anyways and I figured I should let Nathan know my intentions, so it is easier on him. I respect him too much to put him in the middle. I know he trusts me, but I also don't want to make things awkward by him having to bring this up with me when I already know what the University should do. This is exactly what I would advise one of my clients to minimize the damage."

"This was your dream, Jake. You had always wanted to be a professor if you hadn't become a lawyer and loved the idea of teaching. I hate that this is taking that away from you."

"I wasn't fully enjoying it as much as I had thought I would, even before all of this happened," Jake admitted. "It turns out that the power and respect you get in a room when you introduce yourself as managing partner of a successful firm is very different than what a Professor gets from his students. I love the authority, making decisions, and seeing them come to life immediately. I love the numbers and the daily challenge at work. It is very different than this life filled with writing research papers and talking about things from a theoretical perspective."

Emma wanted to protest further but in the end, they both just sat in silence even though there were so many things she could or should have said.

"Izzy wants to visit this weekend. Probably reach by tomorrow evening," Emma finally broke the silence. "What should I tell her?"

"Of course, she can come and visit," Jake replied.

"No, I meant, about all of this."

"Oh," Jake sighed. "I guess it's up to you. She is your sister, you will have to decide what you confide in her."

"Have you discussed it with John?"

Jake took a deep breath before replying, "no, I was hoping it wouldn't come to that."

This time it was Emma turning to stare at Jake's profile. She could make out his features in the glow from the television. She used to think he was always serious but realized now that even when he wasn't smiling his eyes and expressions were always engaged. They would light up and the crinkle to indicate his amusement and enjoyment at what was going on around him. The Jake on the couch wasn't what she was used to seeing, instead he looked tired and sad. She figured he could feel her eyes on him, but he kept his face straight forward. Emma had a feeling it was so she wouldn't see anything more in his eyes.

She finally turned away, wanting him to be able to keep his façade of strength intact. They both continued to sit in silence and watch the TV. At some point in the evening, Emma grabbed the blanket on the couch and spread it out around both and slowly rested her head against Jake's shoulder. Neither acknowledged this or said anything further and at some point, dozed off on the couch with the TV still running in the background.

* * *

The next day Jake went out for his morning run even earlier than his typical time. Frankly, he had just needed to get away from the house and was hoping the morning air would help clear his head. He had woken up a few hours before to find he was sprawled on the couch with Emma tucked against him. The last memory he had of the night was sitting upright with Emma resting her head on his shoulder. When he went from sitting up to lying down with Emma against him, he didn't know. What he did know was that it took him far longer than it should have to get up and leave Emma sleeping on the couch. Thankfully, Emma hadn't stirred, and he was hoping she was in a deep enough sleep to not know.

Jake hadn't been entirely truthful about his motivation for wanting to leave his position and get back to Highbury. He did want to get away from the rumors and it was even true that he hadn't been enjoying the academic life as much as he had imagined he would. Career wise, it was hard going to a slower pace when he had gotten used to the fast lane. All that aside, the bigger reason for wanting to leave was that he needed to get away from Emma. He was very worried that these feelings were changing from simple lust to a deeper love. That was an even bigger disaster than the one he was currently facing.

He didn't trust himself or his self-control anymore and was worried about doing or saying something that would invariably change their relationship forever. It was getting especially difficult because he could sense Emma had been looking at him differently as well. Things had changed that day in the dressing room and although neither had openly acknowledged it or said anything, Jake wasn't naïve enough to not recognize a bad idea when he saw one. At this point it was a toss-up for which reason he should give to not pursue anything with her. There was the validation it would give to the rumors, or the twelve-year age difference, or even the trust her father had in him, regardless they were all at the forefront of his mind for reasons why he needed to put some distance between them. The cozy sharing session in the dark last night followed by snuggling against each other for most of the night, were prime examples of things that shouldn't happen but would continue to if they lived together much longer.

_It's a good thing Izzy will be here by the evening. Hopefully things will be back to normal._

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Since he didn't have to teach a class a large chunk of it included hiding out in his office. He was looking forward to seeing Izzy and wasn't disappointed when he opened the door to the sounds of giggling and the smell of something delicious cooking. He briefly hesitated wondering what if anything Emma had told her sister, but he gave a sigh of relief at the goofy grins and waving they were both giving him.

"Well looky here, the man of the house is home." Izzy called out as she came over to give Jake a hug.

"Izzy, I'm so glad you are here. This means there will be real food tonight. Emma and I basically subsist on instant meals or pizza." Jake announced dramatically.

"Hey!" Emma protested. "I'm a great cook. I try all sorts of recipes and I mean yes not all of them work out, but you always eat them anyways."

"Frankly I'm surprised you let her near the stove at all. Have you learnt nothing from the great grease fire incident? We all barely survived with the clothes on our back," Izzy added with a dramatic sigh. "In fact, it was you who had to run into the burning building and save us all."

Emma rolled her eyes at her sister's theatrics. "Okay first, I was fifteen at the time, and it was a few splashes of grease that started smoking. There wasn't even a fire and there definitely wasn't any rescue involved. I'm pretty sure Jake just wanted another piece of the cake Ms. Bates had dropped off."

Izzy and Jake looked at each other and laughed. Emma was particularly sensitive about that incident that had resulted in the kitchen filling up with smoke, although nothing had caught on fire.

"Well Jake, how about you wash up. I made some chicken alfredo which I know it is both of yours favorite."

It wasn't until the three of them were busy eating their pasta and salad that Jake realized this carefree laughter had been missing this past week. Both Emma and Jake had been putting up a brave front but were clearly under stress. He was suddenly very glad his sister-in-law had decided to come visit.

"So how is John coping with the kids by himself?" Jake asked Izzy.

"He's already called me three times asking when I'm coming home." Izzy said with glee, clearly enjoying her husbands' pain.

"So how are things with you guys? I have barely seen Emma this semester. Honestly, I wasn't sure how you guys living together would work out. I thought for sure you would drive each other insane but it seems to be going well." Izzy continued cheerfully.

Jake forced himself to keep smiling as he lightly responded. "Who said she doesn't drive me insane?"

"It definitely wasn't a far drive," Emma retorted.

Izzy and Jake both rolled their eyes at the childish comeback.

Izza changed the subject once more, "I've been trying to convince Emma to go clubbing with me for the past few hours and she wants to stay home instead. What self-respecting twenty-two-year-old wants to stay home on a Friday evening? I mean, when will I get a kids and husband free evening again, I say we totally maximize it." Izzy thought for a few seconds. "Wait does this have something to do with your almost-boyfriend Frank Churchill?"

Jake looked over at Emma to see her turning bright red. It wasn't his place to say anything about her crush on Frank Churchill but he couldn't help the spark of jealousy the other man's name elicited.

"No, I just thought it would be nice to hang out." Emma said while glaring at her sister, "and Frank isn't my boyfriend. That was a while ago."

"Sweetie, I love hanging out with you, but I talk to you on the phone most nights. I know you have spent most of this semester just at home. You need to get out more. You will only be young once, so enjoy it."

"Alright fine. Stop trying to make it sound like it's for my good. I know you want to go out dancing," Emma gave in with a grin. "Let me see if Harriet wants to come along."

Izzy squealed, "Jake you want to come?"

"Oh hell no. Don't include me in your plans."

A short while later Jake was sitting watching TV when the two sisters came out from the room. They had both gone through a full transformation of outfits, hair, and makeup. The two of them had very similar features with similar blonde hair and green eyes but Jake's eyes were drawn to Emma. Her hair was curled and cascading down her back. The smoky eye shadow made her eyes pop out and look even more dramatic. But it was the blue outfit that she wore that had Jake seeing red.

It was light blue in color and was a halter top that tied around her neck, leaving her entire back exposed. The halter top joined together with a skirt that was too tight and too short for Jake's liking. He couldn't believe Emma even owned an outfit like that or was planning on wearing it in public.

Jake stood up and advanced towards her, suddenly feeling unexplainably angry. The thought of other guys at the club seeing her like that was like a blaring horn in his head and he grabbed her wrist while dragging her back to her room.

"You can't wear that outfit outside. I can't believe you approved of this Izzy. What were you thinking?" Jake demanded angrily.

"I think she looks gorgeous." Izzy defended.

But Jake wasn't listening, he was too busy pulling her inside the room towards the wall, so they weren't directly visible from the open door. Emma still hadn't said anything and just stood watching Jake with a raised eyebrow.

Jake could feel the blood rushing through his body. His heart was beating so hard he was sure it was audible to Emma. "You have to change. You are practically naked." He demanded.

"Jake…" Emma began to say something, but Jake wasn't in any mood to listen. All he could think about was everyone seeing Emma and wanting Emma. He could easily picture some young handsome guy catching her attention. _She's mine._

Jake had a feeling Emma would tell him to stop acting like a Neanderthal. He also knew her sister was just outside, and the door was open, but he wasn't in a mood for rational thought. Jake slowly got closer and watched, fascinated, as Emma moved backwards until she was right against the wall. Jake was still holding her wrist and now he leaned over her, so his chest was pressed against her.

He wanted Emma to be just as confused and caught in the moment and was satisfied when her eyes widened and breathing started to become shallow.

Jake briefly closed his eyes. "You aren't wearing a bra." He murmured through gritted teeth.

"I'm small enough that I don't always need to. There is lots of fabric in the front and besides a bra would have shown." Emma whispered back breathlessly.

Jake watched as her tongue came out to wet her lips. He couldn't stop himself from staring at her lips as he replied just as quietly. "Every guy is going to want to touch… to taste… when they see you in this."

The words once spoken could never be taken back. The silence stretched for long moments before Emma finally whispered, "Does that include you too, Jake?"

Jake's eyes slammed up to meet Emma's. She was staring at him, unafraid, challenging. The question hung heavy between them. Although they had multiple moments between them, this was the first time either of them had asked such a direct question regarding what was going on.

He closed his eyes and slowly pushed back from Emma. _What the hell had he been thinking with his caveman routine? _Every time he convinced himself of what a bad idea this was, he went and did something contrary anyways. He was surprised Izzy hadn't barged into the room to see what was taking them so long. That would have been fun to explain why he had her little sister pressed up against the wall like that.

Jake sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said as he turned around and walked towards the door. For what, he didn't say, and she didn't ask.

He walked out to see Izzy standing in the kitchen, in deep thought while slowly eating a cookie. She looked at him for a few moments before finally saying.

"I'm glad you take your responsibility to look after Emma so seriously." The statement was spoken in a neutral tone but the question in her eyes was clear.

Jake cleared his throat. "Yes well. It isn't always safe at these clubs and there isn't any point in inviting trouble."

He watched as Izzy's eyes narrowed. It was obvious she wanted to say something further but all she did was give a slow nod. "Right. Of course."

Izzy walked towards the living area before casually replying, "you know, my outfit is basically the same as Emma's."

This was the first time Jake noticed that in fact Izzy was also wearing a halter top that also left a large portion of her back bare.

Jake cleared his throat again. "Yes well, you are older and can look after yourself."

It was clear by Izzy's snort and raised eyebrow that she wasn't particularly impressed by his response. Jake was fully aware that he had behaved like an idiot and was in danger of just digging himself further into trouble.

"Well, you guys have fun." He murmured as he went into his room and closed the door behind him. It was a good thing they were going out, he needed the evening to talk some sense into himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Emma wasn't really having a great time at the club. This was supposed to be about forgetting everything and just enjoying an evening of dancing with her friend and sister. But instead, it was turning into a disaster. She couldn't get the earlier encounter with Jake out of her mind. This was the first time she had ever seen him react to something in a way where he clearly forgot his surroundings. It had been fascinating; confusing; thrilling.

However, it had led to many pointed looks from her sister. This was followed by thinly veiled questions directed her way, _how things were going with Jake? What did they usually do most weekends? Did she ever see him around campus or in the evenings since they both must be so busy with their separate circle of friends?_

Emma had plastered a smile on her face and given as generic answers as possible to get her sister off her back. She was scared to ask what Izzy was thinking. At least once Harriet had joined the group, the conversation had become more neutral and the girls had started to relax and get to the dancing portion of the evening.

"I have to go to the washroom," Emma yelled towards her sister and friend, a few hours later.

They were both enjoying the current song, so Emma made her way towards the long washroom line.

"Hey pretty lady, let me buy you a drink?" A drunken voice called out from the side.

Emma looked up to see four clearly drunk guys laughing loudly and yelling near a table. The one who had called out the question was insolently leaning against the table and giving her a smirk.

"Sorry, I'm not interested." Emma replied.

"Aww, but you haven't even given me a chance. I could be the man of your dreams," the same man replied.

"Ya. I highly doubt that," Emma said loudly while turning away from the group.

"Wait a second," he yelled out, as he slowly straightened up from the table and walked towards her. "I've noticed you in my Business Ethics class. You are the one who is having the affair with the professor."

Emma jolted with shock and felt a trickle of fear run down her spine at his words. This was the first that someone had singled her out with the rumors and confirmed the fact that Elton had now implicated her as well. His words caused the other men to stop their conversations and squint at Emma.

"Ooooo, you think that's how she's gotten through university so far? You only take classes where the professors are willing to give marks for extra credit? If you know what I mean." One of the other men in the group loudly called out. This was met with loud drunken laughter.

"Wait, I don't think it's her. I think it's the red head who sits near the back?"

"Ya, for sure it was someone else but definitely not the red head. Besides this one doesn't look like the type."

"What type? I'd totally have an affair with her."

Emma felt frozen in her spot as the guys now surrounded her and were making all sorts of remarks and comments debating if she was in fact the same girl. It felt like every single eye was on her and there were enough university people around who had heard the rumour that were also whispering and pointing at her.

"Hey, leave her alone." Izzy pulled her through the crowd while Harriet elbowed a path through the staring people.

Emma knew the tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't care enough to try to stop them. It didn't even matter that they hadn't been able to come to any concrete decision if she was in fact that same girl as the rumours but it was still a shock to be yelled at and judged in that manner.

Once they were safely in the car, Izzy turned towards her with a stern expression. "What is going on Emma? What were those people saying to you?"

Emma wasn't sure where to begin, so she just sighed. "There is a rumor going around University that one of the professors is sleeping with his students."

"Oh man, yes," Harriet jumped in. "It is such a juicy rumour too Izzy. Apparently, he is new and is a young and super hot professor and a lot of girls wouldn't mind special attention from him."

Izzy ignored Harriet's excitement and continued to stare at her sister. She finally spoke softly, "and they think that student, is you?"

Harriet finally quieted down and looked at her friend in confusion, "Oh Emma, I'm so sorry. Why on earth would they think that?"

Emma didn't say anything, but she could tell from the comprehension in her sister's eyes that she had figured out who this professor the rumours were about.

She could feel her sister's eyes on her so felt compelled to add, "the rumours aren't true."

"I should certainly hope not." Izzy retorted sharply.

Harriet could tell there was a silent communication going on between the sisters, she hesitated before asking, "are we going back to your place or did you want to come to mine?"

Emma looked outside the window before replying, "lets go to your place."

* * *

Jake woke up to a splitting headache the next morning. He was glad it was a Saturday and he didn't have anything on his schedule. It had been a difficult night, first because he kept replaying his own reaction to Emma's outfit. He had called himself all sorts of idiot for behaving like that in front of Izzy of all people. The whole plan was to go back to treating Emma like his friend and here he was doing a great job of making his life even more complicated by having his sister-in-law question what was going on.

Next, he had realized that the sisters still hadn't returned home. This had resulted in many panicked phone calls and texts only to finally receive a simple response from Izzy saying they were staying at Harriet's. Emma hadn't replied to any of his messages.

Jake spent the next few hours on his computer while still wondering when the sisters were going to come home and how their evening went.

The sudden sound from his phone indicated he had received a new text message. _I ended up going to John and Izzy's house. I won't be back until tomorrow evening._

Emma's message provided no further details or clues for what had changed that Izzy's plan to stay the weekend had now ended with Emma leaving for Highbury instead. Jake's subsequent messages asking if everything was okay were also ignored.

The only thing he could think of was Emma being upset by his actions last night. He had held on to her wrist and pushed her up against the wall and where he had been reading reciprocating interest, maybe it had been fear. He wasn't generally a violent or impulsive man, but in that moment, he had felt completely out of control. The other thought was that Izzy had taken one look at Jake, guessed his reaction was due to jealousy and frustration, and had taken her baby sister away to protect her. Emma could have also told her sister about the rumours and combined with Jake's actions, she was probably trying to device a plan to get her sister out of the big bad wolf's clutches. Jake had a great relationship with his sister-in-law but when it came to Izzy picking between himself and Emma, he wasn't foolish enough to think she would ever approve of him for her.

Regardless, his options involved sitting at the apartment and driving himself crazy worrying about why Emma was mad or driving to Highbury to apologize for his behaviour. He had already started packing his overnight bag before he even finished deciding if this was a good idea or not.

It was already early evening by the time Jake reached his brothers house on the suburbs of Highbury. Since this was a relatively small town, even the suburbs were close to his own and Emma's place as well. Jake took a deep breath and headed towards the door. He didn't have to wait long before his brother John opened the door.

"Jake? What a surprise." John said, as he opened the door. "This is just perfect. Did you know Emma is here too? I love my kids… I kind of have to since they are mine, but man was I ever glad when Izzy decided to come back early."

Jake felt himself relax as he took in the familiar surroundings at his brother's place. He probably spent just as much time at his own house than he did hanging out with John. It was clear from Johns happy chatter that he was glad to see Jake, but he couldn't help but wonder how Emma's and Izzy's reaction would be.

John was giving Jake an update of how things were going with the new client at the firm, Brown Industries, when they heard a crash from upstairs. "Uh oh, Izzy is trying to give the kids their bath and it sounds like she could use my help."

"Where is Emma at?" Jake asked casually.

"Kitchen," John replied while heading up the stairs.

Sure enough, Jake found Emma stirring something on the stove in the kitchen. He stood quietly and watched for a few moments as she was clearly lost in thought about something.

"So… we mad at each other?" Jake asked casually as he entered the kitchen.

Emma jumped at the sudden interruption. Her surprise was evident as she asked, "Jake! What are you doing here?"

Jake walked over and turned off the stove, so they could talk. "I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry about the way I reacted when you were heading to the club. It wasn't my place to say those things about your outfit." Jake looked away before continuing, "to tell you the truth, you looked gorgeous and I was completely out of line. I understand you are upset with me and I'm guessing that's why you came here instead of coming back home. I get that, but I drove down to… well, apologize."

Jake turned back to see Emma giving him a slight smile. "Jake, I wasn't mad at you. I appreciate you saying sorry but that never even occurred to me."

"Then why did Izzy cut her trip short and you guys completely changed the plans last minute?" Jake wondered, confused.

This time it was Emma who wouldn't meet his eyes, as she took in a deep breath and finally said, "there were some guys at the club, who were saying horrible things to me. One of them was saying that I'm the girl who is sleeping with the professor while the others debated if it was someone else. I mean I guess it is good that they didn't know for sure, but I was so upset, Izzy decided to get me away from everything and bring me home for the weekend."

Jake wanted to scream in anger at the thought of Emma being treated like that. He wanted to hit Elton for starting the rumours or wished he had done something sooner to not be in this situation. He hated knowing there wasn't really anything one could do to stop the spread of these rumours. If there was something concrete, he would have gone after it with every law he could think of. But he didn't have proof that it was Elton who had spread the rumours and he couldn't exactly sue the entire University population for libel and defamation.

In the end, he looked at the tears slowly running down Emma's face and did the only thing he could do, which was to wrap his arms around her and pull her in for a hug. The hug was meant to offer comfort, but he couldn't help but think how right it felt to hold her like this. She fit perfectly in his arms and her head rested comfortably against his shoulders. Emma's arms were wrapped around his waist and neither seemed to be in a hurry to let the other go. They continued to stand there with their arms around each other long enough that the hug changed into an embrace. Jake finally stopped questioning it and closed his eyes to just enjoy having Emma so close. He lowered his head to place a soft kiss on her head, while resting his cheek against her hair, and felt Emma tighten her arms in response, ensuring the embrace was equally reciprocated.

He could have easily spent the next few hours just standing in that kitchen, holding Emma in his arms, but John chose that moment to enter the kitchen. They both sprung apart with a guilty expression on their faces and John just stood there frozen, with his mouth open staring at the two of them.

"I should go and help Izzy," Emma mumbled as she made her way out of the kitchen.

"What…? Why…? How…?" John sputtered, not really completing any one thought or question.

"Emma was upset, I was just giving her a hug to help her feel better." Jake responded calmly, trying to determine what John thought he saw in that very _simple_, very _innocent_ hug.

"Right, right." John nodded quickly, but he seemed to be avoiding Jake's eyes. He finally hesitated before quietly saying. "She's twelve year's younger than you Jake and very inexperienced. Emma has lived a very sheltered life so far and all her boyfriends are of the hand holding variety. It's just… it looked… you looked… I don't know… so intimate."

Jake looked away, so he was facing the window over the kitchen sink, before quietly replying. "I know all of that. It isn't… there isn't anything like that. We are friends. We always have been. It was a hug. You are reading too much into this."

"I guess so," John replied, although he still sounded doubtful.

The brothers continued to stand in awkward silence before Jake finally said, "I might have to come back from the teaching position soon. There are rumours at the University that I am having an affair with one of my students and instead of the rumours dying down they are increasing." Jake cleared his throat before adding, "with Emma."

"And are you?" John asked so quietly, Jake initially thought of just pretending like he hadn't heard the question.

He finally replied without turning around to face his brother. "No, of course not."

"But you wish you were." This was uttered not as a question, but a statement and Jake didn't see any point in trying to argue otherwise. He was just tired of going through all the reasons why this was a bad idea and even while knowing he would never admit to it out loud, he also didn't want to lie to his brother.

In the end he just muttered, "it doesn't matter."

"You must know all the reasons why you can't do this. I love both of you, but this won't work. It was different for me and Izzy. We were at the same phase of our lives and wanted the same things."

"I know all of that. I'm not a complete idiot. I'm coming back in a few weeks anyways. That isn't what you need to worry about. Now these are just rumours which I am hoping will end once I leave but if this becomes anything more than rumours, I will need your legal help. Not really to protect myself but to protect Emma."

"Of course, anything I can do."

Jake just nodded and changed the subject to other topics trying to pretend like the sigh of relief he had heard from his brother didn't bother him.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: ****Thanks for all of the reviews! Keep reading and keep reviewing!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Emma was receiving a similar grilling from her sister regarding the topic of Jake. This was basically a repeat of everything she had already asked during their six hours drive back to Highbury.

"I keep telling you Izzy, there is nothing going on between us. I can't believe you would even think there was." Emma said exasperated.

"I know, I know. It's crazy, and if someone had even suggested it I would have just laughed but I don't know, Jake's reaction to your outfit seemed like he was jealous. It's hard to explain but I would have sworn he was jealous of the thought of other guys seeing you. And then you guys were in the room for so long and then the rumours about you two and the fact that he just did a six-hour drive to Highbury to follow us. I just got a little worried." Izzy said.

"Well there isn't anything to worry about. We have always been friends. You know that."

"I know. It's not that he isn't a good guy, because he's the best. I get the excitement of the older guy, but don't set yourself up for failure. This will just end badly. Either he will get bored or will want too much and you are too young." Izzy said, carefully watching Emma.

"Why would he get bored?" Emma couldn't help herself from asking.

Izzy narrowed her eyes and scrutinized her. "Em, he's not a player by any means but he's almost thirty-five and has had only a handful of serious relationships. He's happy just dating. Just imagine if you did date, when it ends, you would still have family and history in common. You can't eliminate all of that. It would just be awful and awkward for both of you."

Emma rolled her eyes and tried to give a smile to show how ludicrous Izzy was being, but her mind just kept getting stuck at the word, _when. _Izzy hadn't said _if_ you guys break up but _when, _as if the idea of them getting together and staying together was not even a possibility her sister could fathom.

* * *

Emma spent the night tossing and turning in her bed before finally waking early and deciding to head to her father's place. It had been a few weeks since she had last seen him and in this moment all she wanted to do was sit with her father and a cup of tea and discuss her troubled mind.

The remaining evening had just been strained and awkward. John and Izzy had both been overly cheery and talkative while ensuring there wasn't a single moment Jake and Emma were left unchaperoned. Jake had become withdrawn and aloof and hadn't addressed Emma directly even once all evening. Emma had just wanted to escape but knew that would just cause her sister to come up with her to _talk_ further. Since that was the last thing she wanted to do, Emma spent the evening playing her part in the family tableau. All in all, there hadn't been a single person who had wanted to prolong the evening beyond the bare minimum.

She knew her dad had always been an early riser and would probably be making himself some oats and bran cereal with his morning coffee. Emma smiled at the thought of the familiar, dearly yearning for the routine of her childhood home. Things had been so simple then, Jake had just been a good family friend shared equally between father and daughter and she didn't have people saying vicious things about her. The irony hadn't escaped her that she was seriously contemplating doing the exact things the rumours were accusing her of, and if Jake made even one move on her, she would probably be an equal and willing participant.

Emma used her key to open the front door and headed towards the smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen. It smelled like a much heartier breakfast than what her dad typically ate, but the thought of some eggs and potatoes sounded great. Emma walked into the kitchen with a loud "surprise" only to stop in surprise at the site that greeted her.

Instead of her father, it was Ms. Bates standing at the kitchen stove while dressed in a house coat. Emma could only stare with her mouth open, while Ms. Bates stared back at the unexpected interruption. Ms. Bates was many things, she was Jakes neighbor, Jane Fairfax's aunt, her parents' old friend, but her presence at this time in the morning in their kitchen, wearing a house coat, indicated a familiarity that Emma was not happy about.

"Emma. How good to see you," Ms. Bates began nervously. "Henry… Henry looks who is here." She shouted shrilly towards the stairs.

"I'm coming Roberta dear… oh Emma. I didn't know you were coming today." Henry Woodhouse walked in, also dressed casually in a house coat.

"No clearly. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I needed to call first or that you would be entertaining visitors at this time." Emma stated frostily, turning away from her father as he came forward to give her a hug.

She watched as her father's face fell but she couldn't believe her dad would do something like this. He had barely dated anyone while they were growing up, and now to bring other women into her mother's house and allow her to cook in her kitchen was just preposterous.

"Emma," Henry began. "It isn't like that. This is your home. Roberta is just a good friend. We are both early risers so were having breakfast. I've been so lonely since both of you girls have left home."

"And do you meet all your _friends_ in just your house coat?" Emma asked.

She watched as both Ms. Bates and her father turned bright red. Ms. Bates started stammering, "it's just that my clothes got wet in the rain. Did you know we had rain last night? And the rain was so heavy that I couldn't walk home so your father allowed me to stay in the guest room. And then since my clothes were so wet and I feared catching a cold I put on this house coat. I am very prone to catching colds you know, and your father has the best remedies and teas for preventing that. He very graciously offered to give me some… cold medicines and teas, I mean."

Emma could not believe that her entire life was falling apart and now her father was in some sort of relationship with Ms. Bates. Someone she had known her entire life but only thought of in a vague way, as someone on the outskirts of her life. She had always just laughed at Ms. Bates tendency to ramble on but now could only stare at her in disbelief.

"Forget it, Dad. It seems like you already have plans for the day. I must head back. Things are busy with my studies; I had come down to visit Izzy and was just stopping by. I will talk to you later."

Emma rushed out the door, ignoring her father's cries of 'wait'. She barely made it into the car before the tear's started rushing down her cheek. She only had to drive down a few blocks before she pulled into another driveway and banged on the door.

"Emma? Emma, what's wrong? Sweetie come inside." Anne Taylor took one look at her distraught younger friend and pulled her into her arms.

Emma could barely talk as she sobbed into her friends' shoulder, letting all the hurt, confusion, pressure, drama, and uncertainty of the last few weeks come out. There had been so many moments of silent tears, but this was loud and messy, with uncontrollable cries, until Emma finally calmed down enough to unburden everything to her patient friend.

* * *

Emma entered the apartment, trying to sneak in and not have to see Jake. However, luck wasn't on her side as Jake was sitting in the living room, watching TV, with his feet propped up.

"Hey, how are you doing?" he began tentatively.

Emma wasn't really in a mood for talking, especially not to Jake. She just felt so angry and helpless with everything and now the person causing most of her problems was sitting right in front of her. Getting all her emotions out to Taylor had helped calm her down. It was good having a friend who didn't judge or try to give her answers but instead just listened and gave her advise. However, even Taylor had been shocked to hear about Emma's confused feelings for Jake, and the possibility that he might be feeling them too. Although she hadn't tried to completely warn her off as Izzy had, Taylor had still reminded her of the age difference (_as if she didn't know_) and had told her to be careful it was what she really wanted before ruining a lifelong friendship.

Taylor hadn't been as surprised about the rumours since she had heard bits and pieces of what was going on at the university from Dr. Weston already. The relationship between Jake's former professor and her friend was becoming stronger to the point that Taylor had confided she was considering moving to be closer to him. Emma had been so glad to hear about that, as there was no one in the world who deserved happiness as much as her kind friend.

"I'm good," Emma replied curtly in response to Jake's question.

She started walking towards her room when Jake called out again. "Your dad called me. He was worried about you."

_Of course, her dad would call him_. Where generally the relationship between her dad and Jake would amuse her, in this moment she was just angry. Maybe she hadn't wanted to share the morning with Jake.

"And did he tell you Ms. Bates was with him for an early morning breakfast? In our house? In my mom's house?" Emma asked angrily.

"Emma," Jake began slowly. "Yes, he did mention that. He told me what happened and how you came in for a surprise visit and how angry you got. He is so upset at the thought that he upset you."

"Look, I don't want him to be upset and I know he has dated a few people over the years, but he can't have women staying over. That is completely unacceptable." Emma stated decisively.

"Don't you think you are being a little harsh on him? Your father loved your mom and he has spent his entire life dedicated to you two since she passed away. But Emma, it's been more than fifteen years now, and both of you have moved out, don't you think Henry deserves to be happy as well? And what is wrong with Roberta? You really hurt her feelings and she's been so upset all day. If she makes your dad happy and he makes her happy, what is so wrong about them being in a relationship? You know she loved your mom as well. They were friends. She isn't trying to replace your mom, but don't you think you should at least give the thought of your dad in a relationship a chance?"

Emma could feel her hackles rising at Jake's lecture, _who was he to tell her what was right or wrong. _"I didn't say I minded them being in a relationship, but I don't want that relationship to be staying in our house," Emma said stubbornly.

She was suddenly so angry and tired of everything, she was tired of the rumours, tired of her sister thinking she knew what was best, tired of Jake giving her mixed signals, tired of her father and his new-found romance, and tired of her own thoughts. She didn't even know what she wanted or if this Jake thing was even something she wanted. Maybe everyone was right, and she really was just confused and caught up in the curiosity.

Emma just wanted to shut off her brain and stop thinking. She could feel herself lashing out at Jake but didn't even want to stop. "Besides, what the hell do you know about relationships? How many serious relationships have you ever had? Your brother has been married for five years already with three kids and what about you? Huh?"

"We aren't talking about me right now," Jake replied calmly.

That calm tone sent her further over the edge and she stalked towards him spewing out all the hurt and anger. "Well, maybe we should be talking about you. It is all about you, everything is all about you. My entire life has been about you. Anything that happens, you are always there. I do something wrong, my dad tells you about it, so you can lecture me. You just need everyone to think you are always perfect and the best at everything, so you didn't even argue against this idea to live together. You thought you were helping me out, but I don't need your help anymore. I'm tired of all your help. I'm tired of you."

Emma turned away so she didn't have to look at the hurt on Jake's face. She had thought she was done with the onslaught of emotions, but she could feel more tears threatening to come down. Emma started walking towards her room but stopped right at the entrance.

"I'm not a child anymore Jake. I want you to just leave me alone." Although this was uttered quietly the words seemed to echo and grow in the silent room.

Emma stopped as she heard a simply spoken, "I'm sorry" from Jake, but she continued into her room and shut the door behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews. Things have been really busy so I haven't had a chance to reply to them but just know how much any comment and feedback is appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter... there is a lot that happens!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Jake was currently on his way to discuss his resignation with Nathan. He wanted to set it up, so he was gone before the upcoming final exams, to avoid any accusations of favoritism or unfairness. The few weeks following the fight with Emma were excruciating for Jake and although the rumours had started to die down, he could still feel people's eyes on his every movement. He felt like a bug under a microscope who had to pretend like he wasn't bothered by the microscopic lens constantly trained on him. Add to that was the awkwardness between himself and Emma. She had apologized the next day for her outburst and told him she hadn't meant it, but there were no longer any late-night chats or TV watching between them. They had been in a habit of eating dinner together most nights and now they both seemed to have shifted their schedule, so they weren't in the kitchen at the same time. There was talking but consisted mainly of stilted questions about the day and if anyone further had bothered her.

The rumours with Emma's name hadn't spread as widely as he had initially feared. Although he knew there was a lot of pointing and whispering directed at her as well, he was almost glad of the rumours involving him with multiple students since it made her one of the masses instead of singling her out.

Jake rang the bell of the modest house, while hoping Nathan was home this evening. The door was opened by a young man, and although they had never met before, Jake knew exactly who he was, "Frank Churchill?"

It turned out Frank knew who he was as well because he gave a single nod and replied, "Jake Knightley."

Jake couldn't help but study the man Emma had been so taken with at the beginning of the semester. He couldn't really deny that he was a good-looking man and couldn't help but wonder if Emma was still interested in him. "What are you doing here?" Jake finally asked.

"Nathan is my father. Come in. I'm assuming you are here to see him." Frank said as he moved aside to let Jake enter. Jake had known Nathan had a son but was shocked to find out that son was Frank. _Small world indeed._

"How is Emma holding up? I've been trying to keep an eye out for her." Frank inquired.

Jake could feel himself stiffen, wondering what the other man knew and why he was asking. Frank could obviously read his reaction because he added, "Emma told me about what is going on. I also believe you know my fiancé, Jane Fairfax. She asked me to watch out for Emma."

_The world was getting even smaller it seemed. _He was shocked to find out about this news. Jake felt like a bad friend for not knowing something this major about Jane's life.

"Engaged? Congratulations. That seems fast." Jake finally said.

Frank lightly chuckled, "We had been dating for a few years and me being the idiot that I was wanted things to just stay as they were without any changes. That didn't work for Jane and we ended up breaking up. I realized how miserable I was without her which is why I ended up working here. We didn't meet again until Jane came looking for Emma, and then talked things out. The engagement was pretty recent."

This time Jake gave a genuine smile, glad to hear about his friend's happiness.

"Jake. What are you doing here?" Nathan asked as he came into the room. "Well, It's good that you are here. I needed to talk to you as well and planned on calling you to my office on Monday."

Jake jolted at the other man's words but tried to hide his surprise with a small smile and handshake.

"Well I'll leave you two to talk," Frank muttered as he made his way towards the door.

The silence that followed felt awkward and heavy, as if both men were afraid to have this discussion. Jake finally took in a deep breath and started the conversation. "I want to give my notice. I know I had agreed to teach two semesters, but I think it would be best for all involved if I finish the teaching material and leave without giving and marking the exams. I don't want the rumours to harm either the University's or my firm's image."

Nathan nodded in thought as he indicated Jake sit, while doing the same himself. Jake followed suit before continuing, "I realize this will give the impression that I was forced out. An admission of guilt almost. I've thought of that, but if I am here for the exams or marking the final papers and if even one student files a complaint of unfairness, then the University will have to investigate, and it will go on record. It wouldn't even matter if the matter is cleared up because it would still be on the record. Right now, they are just rumours and as horrible as they have been, I can deal with that."

Nathan sighed, "actually they are a little more than _just_ rumours. That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I was asked by the University to investigate these rumours. They wanted to be prepared in case they are forced to make a statement or face any lawsuits etc. I had asked our Administrative Assistant, Jane Fairfax, to help me look into this as well."

Jake was shocked at this development. He looked down to study his hands, ashamed of the position he had put his friends in. Jane hadn't mentioned any of this but of course she wouldn't have been able to. He had always tried to live a good life and make good decisions. It had been important that he not disappoint his parents, even after they had passed away he hadn't wanted to set a bad example for his brother. It all seemed so hopeless now as if none of his actions from the past meant anything. He squared his shoulders and looked up, ready to accept whatever Nathan was about to tell him.

"Jane was able to determine the person starting the rumors was a student by the name of Elton Brown," Nathan paused to study Jake. "I think luck was on your side in this case. Elton has a reputation with several professors and giving people a hard time. This isn't the first time someone has had a confrontation with Elton. There is also some confusion regarding Elton's admission into the program itself. Jane was looking into that, but it ended up being irrelevant since we already had enough information that I could present to the University. The existing profile we have on Elton, combined with your excellent references, and credentials during the time you spent as a student at this same University and since then, have appeased the University from taking any further action. I also disclosed your family connection with Emma during the discussion, although I didn't include that in my report since Emma's name isn't actually listed anywhere."

Jake let the words sink in, glad that the University had afforded him the benefit of the doubt. These issues were extremely delicate, and the University had to walk a fine balance between not giving every rumour credence while still appearing to take student safety and complaints seriously to not expose themselves to reputational harm. The last thing Jake would want is to become part of a news story regarding any of this.

Jake contemplated his words for a few minutes before speaking, "I'm glad to hear the University put their trust in me. But my earlier statement still stands, I don't want to be in a position where someone is given just cause for a complaint because they don't like the mark I give them. A formal complaint will need to be investigated and commented on. I'd rather avoid that." Jake sighed, "honestly, I'm more concerned about protecting Emma. I'm older and I should have taken this more seriously and have thought about what it would look like to someone on the outside, but I don't want it impacting her."

Nathan sighed but finally nodded his head. "I'm sorry about this. It isn't fair, and I thought you were a great teacher but if that is your wish, I won't stop you. As much as I don't like it, I understand your reasoning and will be there to support you."

* * *

Jake was nervous at the thought of his last day of class. He hadn't told any of the students, including Emma. He looked around at the room as the students filed in and took their usual spot. Elton had taken to sit in the center of the room and was giving his usual triumphant smirk. Emma was sitting in her usual spot near the back corner, to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

Once everyone had filed in, he finally turned to fully address the room. "Hello everyone. I have a difficult announcement to make, but today is my last day of class. I will not be here for the final paper submission or the final exams. Those will be taken and marked by the department head, Dr. Weston, instead. It has been an interesting experience teaching all of you and one that I will never forget."

Unsurprisingly, the whispers started instantly, "do you think he got fired?"

"He must have gotten let go to leave right before finals."

"They must have found proof against him."

Jake could see the shock in Emma's eyes at his announcement. He had mentioned it to her previously but hadn't told her he had already put it in motion. After a few moments for the talking to settle down, Jake spoke to the room again.

"I want to address those rumours that are circulating regarding my affair. No, I'm not leaving because the University asked me to because the rumours are and were never true. But those rumours are the reason why I decided to do this. Those have been hurtful and damaging and I'm worried they will continue to grow and put the University in a bad spot. Teaching was something I had always wanted to do. It is ironic that my law firm takes clients that are going through ethical or moral crises and here I find myself involved in one. I can empathize with my clients a lot better and provide support but at the same time, this isn't something I would wish on anyone. The power of words and how they can spread can destroy careers, relationships, and lives. I would ask that you are more thoughtful in spreading information, and begin to question where it came from, why was it spread, what was the agenda, and what the consequences could be."

Jake paused at the end of his speech, looking around and meeting his students' eyes, hoping that if nothing else maybe this would help end some of the drama.

* * *

Emma had been caught off guard by the unexpected announcement by Jake. This was followed by a follow up discussion in the evening where he had told her he was moving back to Highbury on the weekend. There didn't seem to be much point in prolonging it. Jake had insisted that she keep living in the apartment and she had finally agreed. There would be a few weeks where Emma would be living by herself but once the exams were completed, she would be starting a new internship and Harriet would be moving in with her.

Emma had spent most of the evenings over the last few weeks studying in her room, but this was Jake's last night before he would head back. She finally ventured out to see him lining up boxes by the door. Her heart constricted violently at the sight of him leaving and she had a sudden vision of throwing herself in his arms and begging him not to go.

She gave him a small smile before asking. "Did you need help with anything?"

"Of course, now you ask me when I'm basically done all my packing." Jake replied in a teasing tone.

Emma felt herself relax at the playful note in his voice. Things had been a bit tense since her little outburst and even though she had apologized, she knew they were both deliberately creating a wall to try to distance each other. It was not something she had ever done with Jake and unfortunately had led to her spending even more time thinking about him. If her plan had been to stop obsessing over Jake, then it was failing. _Hopefully, once he was in Highbury the physical distance would help._

"I'm going to miss coming home to your sometimes-tasty cooked dinners," Emma answered, keeping up the teasing tone.

"I'm going to miss your kale smoothies," Jake answered back.

"Hey! You drink them every time I make them for myself!" Emma shot back.

"I know… I said I would miss them. You were the one who assumed I was being sarcastic." Jake replied with a raised eyebrow.

They both smiled at each other, feeling things go back to how they used to be. There were still so many things they hadn't acknowledged or said to each other but at least they could joke around and be themselves again.

"I'm going to miss you, Jake. I got used to having you around." Emma admitted.

Jake looked directly at her before saying. "I'm going to miss you too. More than I can tell you. Which is why it's good that I'm going."

Emma could feel her heartbeat speed up at his admission. There had been so many little moments and statements over the last few months, but this felt monumental.

_Jake wasn't her professor anymore._

The thought slowly entered her mind and grew until it was a blaring neon light refusing to be ignored.

Emma swallowed before finally saying. "I'm sorry about all the things I said to you that day. I was angry about my dad, and just so confused about… well, everything else."

"I know. I understand."

"Jake?", "Hmm?"

"You aren't my professor anymore."

Jake seemed to freeze at this statement. He had a 'wide-eyed deer caught in headlights' look to him and studied Emma for a few moments before closing his eyes and replying, "I know. Which is why I am leaving tomorrow."

"Jake? What would you do if I asked you for something?" Emma whispered, watching fascinated as she could see Jake's breathing increase.

"Depends on what you ask, Em," Jake replied softly.

It felt like a culmination of her entire life, every decision, every path had led Emma to this one spot, and this moment. If the words were spoken they could never be taken back, the relationship could never go back to what it used to be.

Emma took a deep breath and said them anyways, "Would you kiss me?"

She watched as Jake's eyes widened in shock, but she knew behind the shock was his own want and need. Emma realized this was her only chance. If she didn't do something or say something now, there would be no chance to later. She instinctively knew that Jake himself or her sister would ensure they were never left alone with each other or had a private moment. And Emma would spend her entire life wondering, and wanting, but never being given the perfect chance to satisfy her curiosity. If there was one thing about Emma, once she had made up her mind about something, she went after it and worried about the consequences later.

She slowly walked towards him until she reached his frozen form. He hadn't moved but the heat radiating from his eyes gave her the confidence to continue and say what she truly wanted. "All I want is one kiss. I have tried so hard not to and I know it's a bad idea. But tonight? I just want to know. Tomorrow, we can go back to being friends and don't have to talk about this again."

She could feel his heart beating frantically under her fingers as she slowly moved her arms around his neck. "And Jake… I know you are curious too."

In this moment she felt powerful and strong as she watched Jakes reaction at her touch. His mind might be telling him _no_, but his body was very much on Emma's side.

He watched Emma with a wary expression but didn't remove her arms. He finally spoke, "Emma, we should talk. This is a bad idea."

"I know," Emma agreed, as she slowly pulled his head down to cover her lips. There was a moment when she feared he would just stand there or push her away. She had taken charge and kissed him, but she didn't have much experience with men and didn't really know what to do next.

Emma was wondering if she had made a terrible mistake when she felt Jake's lips start moving over her. Once he started kissing her back it was only a few moments of soft exploration before he began to deepen the kiss. It was like a dam had been broken and everything he had been holding back was finally released. His lips moved over her with frantic movement. His arms encircled her tightly and touched her everywhere as if to memorize her every curve.

There was no hesitation, no room for doubt, no time for thinking, as they both continued to taste and explore. Emma might not have as much experience, but she was curious and the comfort she had with Jake allowed her to not waste any time on wondering what to do or how.

She let her senses become her guide; the sounds of both their moans, the smell that belonged solely to Jake, the sight of his flushed cheeks, the taste of him on her lips, and feel of him under her arms. It was intoxicating and fulfilling but left her wanting so much more. Emma had been hoping for Jake to respond but this frantic, desperate man in front of her gave her a glimpse into her real power.

This was no simple or sedate kiss. It was messy; more a conquest than an exploration. Emma couldn't help but slip her hands under Jake's shirt and feel his muscles react to her touch. She wanted to feel all of him and couldn't help but pull on his shirt. "No Emma… Emma," Jake gave a groan as he forced himself to slow down, "we need to stop." It would have been more believable if Jake wasn't kissing small kisses down her neck.

"Emma, I want you so badly and I've wanted you for what feels like forever. But we need to stop before we do something we will both regret. This is wrong Em. I'm too old. I'm completely wrong for you. We are friends and I can't lose that."

Jake finally forced himself to let go and step back. It wasn't a lot of distance, but it was enough to allow them both to look at each other as they tried to calm their racing hearts and catch their breaths. Neither said a word as the implications of their actions slowly seeped in. Although they couldn't deny what had just happened or the words that had inevitably been said, but the kiss regardless of how passionate had not solved any problem.

"I should go," Jake finally murmured, although he didn't move for another few moments. "I should… go." This time Jake turned around and headed towards his room.

Emma just stood there and watched him retreat. She finally turned around and headed towards her own room as if in a trance. _What had they just done?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Three Months Later_

Emma's internship at a small online fashion magazine was continuously busy and required Emma to take part in multiple tasks that were traditionally reserved for more senior employees. She had initially been upset for not getting a placement at a more prominent place, but her classmates at larger fashion firms spent most of their time getting coffees or arranging meetings and weren't actually allowed to do any real work. Emma had been late in her applications and had been forced to accept the only job offer she had. This had worked out in her favor since the small publication only had a handful of employees and didn't really care that she was an intern. Instead, she got to tag along to meetings with all sorts of new and trendy fashion designers and stores for interviews and fashion shoots. She generally found herself going in early and staying late since there was always something more she could be helping with. The biggest benefit of having a job that didn't allow for any downtime was that it gave her the perfect excuse to not visit her family or more importantly didn't give her time to think about Jake.

She had been hopeful that kissing Jake would satisfy her curiosity and she would be able to move on. In fact, she had been convinced that it was just the proximity that was making her think about him to begin with. Instead, it had seemed like her entire world had shifted and everything had come down to that kiss. Neither had emerged from their room the rest of the evening and there had been no follow up discussion but she had spent most of the night thinking about the kiss.

The next morning Emma had been a little surprised and more than a little hurt to see that Jake had left at some point while she had been sleeping, without saying goodbye, without saying anything. There was a simple note saying _I'm sorry_ left on the counter. The rest of the boxes had been picked up by a moving company later in the day. It had taken awhile before Emma had been able to convince herself that might have been for the best. They hadn't seen or spoken to each other since, but Emma had been having a hard time getting over him. Her entire life was so intertwined with him, that there were no memories or major events in her life that didn't involve him somehow. This was part of what her sister had been warning her about, but she had figured she was safe since they hadn't dated. _Man was I ever naïve._

The rest of the semester had passed by in a blur with final exams and assignments taking up most people's times. Although the rumours had become less vicious, she was still glad that she had the internship over the next semester instead of having to attend classes. There was still chatter about the professor who had an affair with his students but since no one had filed a formal complaint, Dr. Weston had convinced the university to just ignore the rumours instead of investigating further.

Emma was currently on her way to pick up some items for a photoshoot on how to incorporate the latest colors in a living room without completely re-doing the design. Just a few months in, Emma was basically running the home decor section of the magazine. Officially, this portion of the magazine was looked after by the makeup editor, and although she was brilliant with eye shade colors, she didn't have the same passion or creativity towards home décor. Emma on the other hand was a natural at envisioning how best to show off a place to its advantage while being up to date on the latest colors and styles.

She was engrossed in trying to find the perfect pillow when she heard a voice calling out her name.

Emma narrowed her eyes before turning towards the speaker. "Elton, what the hell do you want?"

Her cold tone didn't seem to affect him in the least. He gave a wide smile before replying, "Emma, fancy running into you here."

Emma was too furious to even pretend to be nice. There were very few people she truly hated, but Elton was on that list. "I'm busy Elton. Leave me alone."

Elton gave a smarmy smile before saying, "I'll leave you alone, once you agree to go on that date we never ended up going on."

"You are kidding right? Did you happen to forget the rumours you spread about me? Or how you basically forced Jake to step down from teaching? You think I would go out with you? I have never met a more self-centered, conceited, asshat of a jerk in my life."

Elton's eyes narrowed at her insults. "Jake, huh? I'm assuming you mean Mr. Knightley. I didn't do anything wrong. Are you going to deny that you were living with your Professor? You want me to believe that is appropriate and it isn't natural to be concerned about fairness or conflict of interest? If anything, I did you guys a favor. I talked about it to a few people sure, but I was well within my rights to have filed a formal complaint with the department, and I didn't."

Emma glared at him in anger. "Next time, I don't need you to do me any favors. But since you seem to think you did one for me I'll do a favor for you. Stop asking me out or I will file a sexual harassment complaint against you."

Elton just smirked, "It's because of _Jake,_ isn't it?"

Emma scoffed, "it has nothing to do with Jake. It has to do with the fact that I'm not interested, I never was, and I never will be."

"That might be," Elton acknowledged. "But in this case, it is because of our good friend Jake."

Elton shrugged and started walking away, before turning as if something interesting had just occurred to him. "You know, our friend Jake happens to be doing a big case for my dad's company, Brown Industries. I wonder what dad will think about my professor who had to leave mid-semester because of allegations of having an affair with his students, now representing him on a hiring practice law suit. It's such a small world, huh?"

Emma could feel herself beginning to shake. It was hard to tell if it was in anger or fear, but she had to figure out something to deal with Elton, so he would stop coming after Jake. It was so twisted to think that she was the one who turned him down but because in his mind it was because of Jake, he seemed to be going after him to extract revenge. She had thought they were done with Elton trying to destroy Jake's career but now he wanted to go after his law firm as well.

The items she had been looking at in the store were forgotten and Emma decided to go home instead. She was in no mental shape to go back to work and the amount of overtime she had been working allowed for an afternoon off.

As soon as she entered the apartment she had previously shared with Jake, she saw her new roommate Harriet snuggling on the couch with her boyfriend Rob Martin. Emma couldn't believe there was a time when she had been trying to convince Harriet to get together with Elton over Rob. Now that she had gotten to know Rob, it was obvious he was a good person and truly cared about her friend. There was no denying he was nerdy, but so was Harriet about her own things, and that was one of the qualities that made them into who they were, with their own unique interests and passions.

"Oh my God, I ran into Elton today. He asked me out again." Emma announced to her friends as she sat down on the couch beside the couple.

Harriet sat up with wide eyes and looked at Emma, "You are kidding? Are you okay? Oh, that guy gives me the creeps."

Emma had shared bits and pieces of how Elton had spread the rumours about Jake because she had turned him down.

"No, I'm not okay. I turned him down and he once again thinks it's because of Jake. It turns out that Jake's big client is Elton's dad's company, Brown Industries, and now he's threatening to tell his dad about the whole campus scandal. Jake's law firm deals with discrimination or workplace ethics type cases and his reputation is a big deal. Now these were just rumours that didn't spread outside the University but if big clients start dropping him, he won't be able to survive."

"Did you say Brown Industries?" Rob asked slowly. "I used to work for them. I quit because Mr. Brown had asked me to do some shady stuff. He had asked me to set up some money transfers and make them look like donations to Donwell University. I don't have proof of this but I'm pretty sure that's how Elton got accepted into the University. I overheard an argument about how Elton hadn't gotten into any University and then next thing you know he's going to Donwell in their Business program."

Emma was staring at Rob in shock, with an idea slowly forming in her mind. If they were able to get some dirt on Elton, maybe they could threaten him back and prevent him from doing any further damage.

"That is some good information. But that doesn't guarantee that he won't tell his dad anyways. Jake has a very solid law firm, but they are still relatively new, and I don't know how they will be able to survive a massive scandal involving clients changing their legal council." Emma said thoughtfully.

Rob nodded, "I think you need more than just rumours about Elton. I think you need some collateral damage… some proof to guarantee both that he will leave you alone and won't hurt Jake's career."

Emma sighed and sat back on the couch. "But how? How do I prove this and what do I do with the information?"

Harriet gave Emma a quick hug on the couch. "This is a huge lead to have the inside knowledge that Rob has. I think first thing you need to do is warn Jake and get him involved. He might have some ideas on what to do." Harriet raised her eyebrows and looked at Emma. "I think you need to make a trip to Highbury. You haven't gone home even once in the past three months."

* * *

Jake had been trying to convince himself to concentrate and focus on his work. This had been his routine for the last three months where he spent more time telling his brain to stop thinking about Emma, so he could focus on his work, then he did on the actual task. He used to just shake his head at his friends who would claim a woman was on their mind and they couldn't concentrate, as he always assumed they were using that as an excuse to get out of working. Even when Jake was having women problems in the past, he was able to put that aside when it came time to work. This time, every little thing reminded him of Emma, or how she would react to a situation, or if she would find a joke funny.

He had tried everything from meditation, to white noise, to brain exercises, to try to get her out of his head. The one thing he hadn't done was contact her, as he figured he needed to get her off his mind before the inevitable run in occurred. He had even tried to go on a few dates and had gotten as far as scheduling the dates, only to cancel last minute.

Jake had known the one kiss would not be enough, but he had still gone ahead with it. Even now, with the fear that he had made a terrible mistake and ruined a lifelong friendship, he still couldn't get himself to regret the actual kiss. If he was being honest with himself, it was a lot more than a simple kiss and could have very easily led to the bedroom.

Jake shook his head in self-disgust, he had taken a request for a kiss and turned it into something completely different. He should have said no to begin with but even if he hadn't, the kiss could have been a simple meeting of the lips and nothing more. It would have fulfilled her request but the devouring that had happened made it impossible to pretend it had meant nothing. He was a lot older and experienced, and should have been able to control the situation, but instead had completely forgotten all the reasons why he shouldn't have kissed her and had allowed his brain to shut down and his body to take over. He took full responsibility and knew it shouldn't have happened. Even as he continued to silently berate himself, the vision of Emma confidently walking towards him with her request for a kiss were on a continuous loop in his mind.

It was only a matter of time that he would see her again and he wasn't sure what would happen at that point. They had agreed to stay friends, but that was an easy thing to say. He was worried they had damaged their friendship irrevocably, but he was hopeful they would be able to move past this and go back to a comfortable existence. They had to find a compromise because he didn't want to share this piece of information with their families. His leaving in the morning without a word to Emma hadn't helped the situation. Jake was afraid he would say or do something that would just make things more awkward. Their entire situation was complicated, and him declaring his feelings would have just made everything worse. He wasn't even sure if Emma was experiencing anything more than just curiosity or lust and he kept trying to convince himself it was fine even if that is all it had been for her.

He was still thinking about Emma when he got a phone call from his receptionist to tell him Mr. Woodhouse was here to see him. Jake groaned, not because he wasn't glad to talk to Henry, but because he was worried that Henry would take one look at Jake and just somehow know he had kissed his daughter.

He was already standing in wait when Henry walked in the door. "Henry, come in. Come in," Jake said, hoping his nervousness wasn't showing. He had seen Henry a few times since his return but always with other people around. This was their first one-on-one conversation.

"Wow, I don't think you've ever been standing in wait for me before. This feels different," Henry replied with a teasing grin.

Jake just smiled, "What is going on?"

"Well I haven't talked to you much since your return. I was supposed to play squash today, but my knees have been acting up. I think my gout is worsening. Roberta had this natural ointment she used to make but I haven't talked to her recently." Henry paused for a few moments lost in his thoughts before continuing, "Anyways, I remembered I still don't fully know why you ended your teaching contract early or how living with Emma was, so I figured I would come and see you."

Jake was generally in the habit of sharing everything with Henry. He considered him to be his mentor and his friend but didn't know how to talk to him about anything that had happened the last few months.

He looked away and finally just said, "it turns out the teaching life isn't for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would."

Henry quietly nodded his head for a few moments. "I'm glad to hear that. I would hate to think it was because of some rumours about a professor having an affair with a student."

Jake met Henry's eyes to see the older man calmly looking back at him with his eyebrows raised in question.

"How did you find out?"

"I was talking to Taylor who thought I already knew."

Jake sighed before finally telling the truth, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie. I just didn't know how to tell you, first because they are embarrassing, and I hate to say them out loud, and second because the student in question was Emma. I didn't know how you would take that."

Henry just laughed and waved Jake's apology away. "I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my life. I can't believe people would think there was something like that between you and Emma. I mean you guys are almost family. I guess I do see why people would think that with you living together. I was surprised to hear she even ended up in your class to begin with."

Jake ignored the first part of Henry's speech and just acknowledged the later part. "Emma had to take an elective and thought my class sounded like fun. It just kind of spun out of control from there."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that awkwardness and ended up having to leave your position," Henry began on a more serious note. "I know the only reason you guys were living together was because of me, so I want to thank you for taking such good care of her even through the rumours."

Jake closed his eyes so the guilt he was feeling wouldn't be visible to Henry. Every once in awhile he would think they might have a chance, only to have a conversation like this one or the one with his brother where he would be right up against all the walls preventing a relationship.

"It was no problem, Henry."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Emma knew she should go and warn Jake before Elton did any permanent damage. As much as she wanted to avoid him forever, she couldn't let his career be destroyed because of her actions. But even while knowing that it took some major self-convincing before she was able to muster the courage to drive to Highbury.

Once she reached Highbury, Emma wandered around the town, trying to figure out her next move. In the end she decided to postpone the discussion with Jake a little longer and headed towards another house instead. She pulled into the driveway next to Jake's instead and sat looking at the modest house in front of her. Emma had been to this house multiple times in her life, but this was the first time she could remember being nervous at seeing Ms. Bates before.

Growing up, Ms. Bates had been a fixture for all sorts of social committees. Her parents were both believers in being involved in town activities, so they had multiple reasons to spend time with Ms. Bates. Emma winced at the thought of how Ms. Bates always looked out for the Woodhouse girls and how rude she had been to her a few months back. Her father hadn't said anything to her directly except that they had broken up, but she knew he was still sad about it. She had tried apologizing for causing their breakup, but he had just said it wasn't because of that and they just hadn't worked out. Regardless of the upbeat tone her dad always kept with her, it was obvious to her that he wasn't his usual self.

Emma was mature enough to acknowledge that she had been emotionally unstable and seeing her father and Ms. Bates had pushed her over the edge. She hadn't even stopped to think but had just reacted.

Emma took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

"Emma? I wasn't expecting you." Ms. Bates answered the bell.

"No. I know. I'm sorry Ms. Bates. I should have called first to see if you were free but if you have a few moments can we talk?" Emma chattered nervously.

Ms. Bates looked at her for a few moments before opening the door wider. "Yes, come in, and call me Roberta please."

Emma nodded and followed her into the house. "Ms. Ba… I mean Roberta. I wanted to apologize for that day in the kitchen. I was just caught off guard and acted very poorly. I'm sorry."

Roberta gave a sad smile before replying, "I'm sorry as well. It wasn't very well done of me either. Henry… I mean Mr. Woo-… I mean your father was my friends' husband."

Emma noted the sadness in Ms. Bates expression. "It's been fifteen years. I don't think either of you were doing anything wrong." She finally said gently.

Roberta's eyes filled up with tears. "It doesn't matter. It's done. Your father doesn't want to do anything to hurt you girls. I would never want that to happen either. I didn't know that you didn't know. I mean that was the first time I'd ever stayed over I swear. It won't ever happen again."

Emma felt immense guilt as she watched the older woman trying to explain her actions to her. She slowly took her hands in hers and said, "I can see you care about my dad a lot. I know he cares about you too. I came in the middle and ruined things for both of you. My dad has spent his entire life dedicated to me and Izzy, he deserves some happiness too. I'm just so sorry to ruin things for both of you before they even had a chance to flourish."

Roberta gave a small smile, "I've loved your dad for a long time. I mean… not while he was married of course. I would never do that to my friend. Your father is a nice man and he's always been so helpful at all the fundraisers. Like at the Highbury Charity Gala, I always help organize it and so does he. I mean I know the gala is so important to your family because your mom helped start it and you guys are all always there. But my point is that volunteering is important, and I've always liked that in a man. I mean not that I know many men… at least not like that… I mean…. Oh dear..."

Emma just smiled and leaned back as she allowed Roberta to ramble about why she did or didn't love her father.

It took almost two hours, a cup of tea, a piece of lemon cake, and agreeing that of course she would be attending the Highbury Charity Gala before Emma was able to leave Ms. Bate's house. She instinctively knew her next stop had to be to see her dad. Even if she hadn't felt the compulsive need to fix the situation with Ms. Bates, she still just really missed her dad. It felt like her life was moving along and so many things were happening and she hadn't shared any of them with her dad.

Thankfully she found him at home working on the garden. She only needed one look at her dad and the familiar surroundings before her eyes filled up with tears.

"Daddy," Emma choked out as she ran into his waiting arms.

She was embarrassed to be having a complete meltdown at her age, but it also felt so good to have a good cry. Once she calmed down, her dad got both a drink and they sat on the porch in companionable silence.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted last time I was here, Dad." Emma finally began. "I think you should make up with Ms. Bates. I was just over there, and we talked, and she really cares about you. I shouldn't have reacted like that. It was childish of me and I'm sorry. It didn't even have anything to do with you but was just misplaced anger and emotions."

Henry nodded for a few moments before smiling. "I think I will Emma. I feel free to be myself around her. I'm not perfect but neither is she, and we have both known each other long enough to know the good and the bad about each other. I feel relaxed and I don't have to work so hard. At my age, I just want someone to laugh with and be comfortable with."

"That's sweet. Once I had time to think about you guys, it made perfect sense," Emma acknowledged.

Henry smiled before casually saying, "but I don't think that's what the crying session was about. How about we talk about how things are between you and Jake?"

Emma was so caught off guard by the question that she spit out her drink and spluttered in shock. "Jake? What about Jake? There is nothing between me and Jake… why… why would you think that?"

Her dad looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I meant the rumours at the University but is there something else I should know?"

"What? No… of course not. I meant the rumours too of course." Emma tried again nervously but Henry was looking at her curiously.

"Emma… What is going on? Jake has been acting odd. He has barely been coming to visit and has been avoiding me. He's always distracted and moody now days. Is there something else that happened that I should know about?" Henry asked again.

If his tone had been stern or judgemental Emma would probably have made some excuse, but the concern was evident in both his tone and way he was watching her. She was just so tired of hiding everything and trying to keep it bottled inside. Granted, the kiss wasn't exactly something to disclose to her dad, but she could still share her own feelings with him.

"Dad, I think I'm in love with Jake Knightley."

It felt like such a relief to say those words out loud. Emma had barely even thought the words much less said them to anyone and now that she had, she finally felt free. Emma could feel herself starting to smile, only to stop at the expression of shock on her father's face. He looked like a fish with his mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.

"I-, I don't understand. Are we talking about Jake Knightley? Family friend? Izzy's brother-in-law? Your almost bro-... umm your roommate?" Henry finally managed to get out.

Emma winced at what her dad had almost said but finally just nodded her head.

"I-, I don't know what to say. Are you sure?" Henry tried again. "I was all ready for a discussion that you guys had a fight, or annoyed each other to no end, or some other discussion. I mean any other discussion really. I wasn't ready for you to say that."

Henry finally cleared his throat. "Where does Jake stand on this topic?"

Emma looked away. "I'm not sure. I haven't told him how I feel, so I don't know."

"Are you sure Emma? How? He's a lot older than you. You are so young sweetie. I know it is exciting and looking back I shouldn't have encouraged you guys to live together. I take full responsibility for that but umm…"

Emma nodded her head. "I know dad. I know he's older. I don't know if he's interested in a relationship. It's a bad idea, the whole family thing, the age thing, and then those rumours. Everything is a bad idea, but I just can't help my feelings. I don't even know if I'm going to tell him. We haven't talked to each other since he moved out."

Henry sighed, "Sweetie, I just don't want you to get hurt."

Emma felt so dejected and lost. It was like she was adrift at sea with no land in sight. She finally just sighed. "I know. I don't either."

* * *

It was dark outside and completely silent in the building before Jake finally decided to start packing up. This had become his usual routine now days with him staying later and later. There just wasn't anything he wanted to do at home, and at least at work there was something he could focus on. John had stopped by a few hours earlier to tell him to go home and remind him to eat some dinner. He could see the worry and question in his brothers' eyes but his conflicting feelings regarding Emma was not something he wanted to discuss with John.

Jake was studying the lights from his window when he heard his office door open and the reflection of Emma clad in jeans and a t-shirt emerge in the window. He wasn't sure if he was imagining things and they both continued to stare at each other in silence through the glass. Jake was afraid to turn in case the reflection disappeared, but she still stood there as he turned to face the door.

"Emma?" Jake breathed out.

"Hi… Jake. Sorry to come by unannounced. I was driving by and saw your car in the parking lot and used the family access pass you gave me a while back to get in." Emma sounded nervous as she gave her explanation.

Jake slowly shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. It's good to see you. Come in. If anything, it should be me who apologizes, for well-… for everything. I should have called or messaged or well just done things differently. How are you?"

Emma took a few steps into the room but otherwise both stayed at the opposite ends of the room. There were so many things Jake wanted to say and ask but he didn't know where to begin. What he really wanted to do was to put his arms around her and see if she still felt and tasted like he remembered.

Emma cleared her throat before nervously replying, "I'm good. Just been busy with work. And you?"

"Good. Busy." Jake nodded. They both continued to stare at each other in awkward silence.

"Jake" "Emma"

They both gave a shaky laugh for speaking at the same time. Jake finally walked towards Emma slowly, not wanting to scare her away. He couldn't help himself and cupped her face in his palm. Jake watched as Emma closed her eyes and moved her face, so it was cradled in his hands.

"Emma," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. I'm sorry for taking advantage of you. I shouldn't have done that… kissed you like that."

Emma opened her eyes and looked at him directly before softly speaking, "I asked you to Jake. You can't take all the credit. I initiated it."

It was Jake's turn to close his eyes, "regardless I should have known better. I am sorry Emma."

Emma opened her mouth as if to argue further but just gave a quick nod and moved away to wander around the office. He could hear her take a deep breath before she finally said in a brisk tone. "I ran into Elton the other day. He asked me out again and when I turned him down he seems to think it's because of you."

'_Is it because of me?' _Jake almost thought he had spoken the words out loud, but he finally cleared his throat. "Are you okay?"

Emma was looking directly at him while she spoke. "Yes, I'm okay. But he wants revenge against you again because he seems to think if I-…, we-… umm if you weren't there I would go out with him. It turns out Brown Industries is owned by his dad and he is going to tell his dad about the rumours to get him to drop you as his firm. I'm sure word will spread to other companies and this could majorly hurt you."

"Of course he is," Jake muttered to himself. He was surprised to find out this development. Brown was such a common name, what were the chances that he would come across both generations in the same time frame.

"It turns out that my friend Harriet's boyfriend, Rob Martin, used to work for Brown Industries. He might have information that could help us. Rob was asked to transfer over a large sum of money as a donation to the University and he thinks it was to help Elton get into Donwell. Rob overheard them talking about how Elton didn't get in initially and then after this donation, he was suddenly going there. I don't know how to prove he didn't actually get in and if the timing lines up, but I think we should look into this further to get some leverage over Elton, so he leaves us alone." Emma finished her statement and looked at Jake expectantly.

Jake took some time to process the information. The thought of Elton one day running this company was scary but hopefully there were internal checks set up in Brown Industries to prevent him destroying things. Regardless, he agreed with having leverage over Elton to ensure he wouldn't be spreading stories any further. Jake was tired of having to deal with these rumours and the impact they had. It bothered him to know the stories were still out there and there was nothing he could do. Regardless of if they managed to stop any further damage, the initial damage had already occurred. He knew his close friends and family knew the truth and he was generally fine with that but there were still countless people gossiping about the professor who had an affair with his student and had to step down as a result. This was not something that would ever go away entirely.

This turn of events was not something he wanted to deal with. Having Brown Industries as a client was something everyone at the firm was very excited about. The company was a big name and had offices all over the country and successfully reaching a settlement in the case would showcase the talent and skills of Jake's firm. They were in the midst of gathering data to define a settlement against a lawsuit accusing the company of unfair hiring practices. Jake's firm was trying to show Brown Industries had adequate policies and procedures to ensure fairness when hiring employees. The second part of the job involved doing an audit of the company's current hiring policies to ensure they were made more robust to avoid future issues.

In a twisted way, Jake wondered if he deserved some of these problems for wanting Emma. It was his penance for pining for someone he really shouldn't be thinking about. He had known her since she was in diapers and had seen her grow up. His feelings were so complicated, and he still wasn't sure if he should ever say anything. He knew the reactions of his friends and family would not be supportive and he couldn't even blame them. Regardless of his own confusion, he still didn't want Elton to have this power over him.

It took awhile for Jake to sort everything in his mind. He could see Emma watching him and waiting patiently. She knew him enough to know he always grew silent and pensive when he was sorting through a problem.

Jake turned his mind back to what Emma had said regarding possibly finding something against Elton. He suddenly remembered his conversation with Nathan and an offhand comment he had made, _Jane was looking into some confusion regarding Elton's admission. _Nathan hadn't needed the information but if there was something there Jane would know. Jake finally spoke, "I bet Jane would be able to get us that information."

Emma smiled, "Good. I thought you would give me a lecture on why we shouldn't be stooping to his level or gathering this information. I'm tired of him trying to get to you because of me. It doesn't even make any sense. If anything, he should be trying to take revenge against me and not you."

Jake just smirked, "I don't know if we should do anything with the information, but I don't see any harm in letting him know we have it. There is only so much Mr. Nice guy I can do. I didn't say or do anything against him but I'm tired of him trying to ruin my life. But Emma? I'm still glad he's coming after me and not you."

Emma looked away, but Jake could see the blush on her cheeks. Every time he convinced himself this thing happening between them was a bad idea, something small like watching her blush would happen that would make him want it anyways.

Jake sighed. _He had a lot of work to do to get Emma off his mind._


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Looks like I forgot to post this week's chapter (oops). We are getting pretty close to the end but please let me know your thoughts, feelings, moods... any kind of message works :)

* * *

**Chapter 17**

As predicted, once Jake talked to Jane about what they needed help with, she was willing to look up Elton's student acceptance information. The plan wasn't to disclose any of the information they gathered but just to verify what they suspected, in order to avoid getting anyone in trouble.

"Yup. Just as you suspected, he was initially rejected from the University. And then right after the large donation was made to the University, the decision was reversed. Usually, when a decision is changed, it is because people file an appeal and submit more information for things they feel will help their admission. In this case, there was no additional information submitted and no notes added to the file, but the decision was changed anyways," Jane was reviewing Elton's file and cross-referencing with the dates Rob had provided.

"Thanks, Jane. I really appreciate you looking into this," Jake stated earnestly.

He had become good friends with Jane and Frank and was glad for the support they had provided. Jake knew his brother was there to lean on, but they had both been at the University and even while knowing the extent of the rumours, had stuck by his side.

"Now that I am aware of this, I will have to disclose this information to Dr. Weston. But I hope your plan works and he just slinks away to whatever rock he climbed out of," Jane muttered.

Jake couldn't help but laugh at the image that provided him.

"Soo…" Jane gave him a sly look. "Frank seems to think it's only a matter of time before the rumours turn into truth and you and Emma end up together."

"Wha… what gave him that idea?" Jake was so caught off guard by the comment that he couldn't help the stutter.

"According to him, it's really obvious in the way you guys react when the other's name comes up," Jane answered back.

"No, nothing like that of course. I mean she's so young and I've known her since she was a child. Besides, it would just be validating the rumours and making them true," Jake replied. At this point, his answers were automatic and easily slipped off his tongue.

"So?" Jane asked with a shrug. "Twelve years isn't the end of the world if you are both interested and knowing each other just means you have a strong foundation. As for the rumours, it was a little shady with you being her professor, but there really isn't anything preventing you guys from dating now that you aren't. Besides, you were an interim professor and she is a Master's student. I don't want these rumours impacting your career, but I also don't think it is as bad as you are thinking."

Jake could feel his heartbeat increase at the thought that maybe it could really be that easy. Was he making such a big deal about it and it didn't necessarily have to be? They hadn't even talked about anything. He hadn't told Emma how he was feeling. They hadn't even discussed the kiss and that was a big deal. This was the first time someone had just shrugged their shoulder like maybe it wasn't the end of the world. Granted the only other person he had semi discussed this with was his brother but maybe there was some hope after all.

* * *

Having the common goal of finding information on Elton gave Emma and Jake the ice breaker needed to get into a routine of talking to each other again. Where before they might have sent the occasional text, now they were constantly finding reasons to message or talk. Jake couldn't just ignore this _thing_ anymore and it was obvious in so many ways that something was happening even if neither of them had openly talked about it.

They had graduated from sending constant texts discussing the plan or progress reports to spending a few hours talking on the phone the night before. The conversation had mostly consisted of observations about the day, or what they had done the last three months. They had discussed the family, upcoming movies, work, but had steered clear of any topic about them. The intimacy of lying in bed, talking to Emma well into the night wasn't lost on him. His actions and thoughts were already so far past friendship, but Jake couldn't get himself to feel the guilt he knew he should be. He had debated asking Emma what her thoughts were about them, or even the fact that this was the longest he had ever talked to anyone on the phone but in the end had decided these were things he needed to say in person. Jake was afraid that it would shatter the fragile bond they were building by trying to rush things. The one thing that was getting clear was that they really needed to talk about this since he obviously wasn't following his own plan of trying to erase the thought of Emma from his mind. It didn't seem like Emma minded.

Jake was currently sitting at the dining table at his brother's house, going over some documentation for work. He couldn't help but continuously check his phone for any messages from Emma. Emma was planning on meeting Elton in a coffee shop today to confront him. Although Jake had wanted to wait until they had more proof or be the one to talk to Elton. In the end, it was decided that Emma would meet in a public place and talk to him.

"Would you stop checking your phone," John finally cried out in exasperation. "Who is supposed to message that is so important that you won't concentrate?"

"I swear, you are like a fifteen-year-old girl," John added under his breath.

"I was just checking the time," Jake replied trying to look innocent.

John just rolled his eyes, "Of course, you were."

It took all of Jake's willpower to not check his phone again. He knew he was acting silly, but he couldn't help it. _He was a man in love._ It took him a while to recognize the feeling in his chest as hope and happiness. Hopefully, the Elton thing would be behind them and he fully planned on going to see Emma and telling her how he felt. There were many issues they had to resolve but if they were both committed, they could find a way. He was always known as the responsible and sensible one but right now he wanted to grab this relationship with both his hands and do everything in his power to make it flourish.

Izzy entered the kitchen and looked at them working. "Hey, did you guys know Emma was in Highbury on the weekend? She didn't even tell me."

The question was directed at both, but her eyes were trained on Jake. He wasn't sure what his response should be but finally decided honesty was always the best answer, "Yes. I talked to her."

Both John and Izzy stared at him as if he had grown a second head. John finally asked, "I thought you guys weren't talking to each other?"

"Who told you that? We are friends," Jake replied calmly.

Izzy crossed her arms and approached the table. "Really? Because Emma told me she hadn't talked to you since you moved out."

Jake just shrugged, "I might not talk to all my friends every day but that doesn't stop them being my friend."

Izzy was still staring at him with a raised eyebrow, "Are you sure that is all it was? Are you sure you weren't the reason she stopped visiting Highbury this past three months? Or the reason she didn't even come home after her exams ended?"

Jake looked back at the computer screen trying to appear nonchalant. "I don't know Izzy. You will have to ask Emma yourself."

"No! I'm asking you. What is going on between you and Emma?" Izzy burst out. "My own sister has been avoiding me and if your name happens to come up she manages to find a reason for ending the conversation. Why?"

Jake looked up at his sister-in-law. He knew she was worried and trying to understand why there was a sudden distance between the sister's relationship. Undoubtedly, he felt bad for being the cause, but it was up to Emma to share what she wanted.

Jake finally sighed. He continued to meet her eyes but firmly replied, "I'm sorry Izzy. Whatever is between me and Emma is between me and Emma. If Emma shares things with you that is up to her."

Izzy stared at him for a few moments before her eyes suddenly widened. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before the words finally came out. "Oh My God, You guys slept together, didn't you? That is why Emma has been avoiding Highbury and why you guys stopped talking?"

"No!" Jake burst out. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and feel his palms getting sweaty. He was afraid to turn and look at his brother but knew he was staring at him with an equally shocked expression.

"Deny it, Jake. Tell me I'm just imagining it," Izzy was now leaning over the table pointing at Jake. The anger was clear in her eyes.

Jake pushed his chair back and stood up, so he was facing her. He was trying hard to remain calm and cool but was having a hard time controlling his own temper. "You are just imagining things. We did not sleep together. Besides, it isn't your business."

"Don't you dare lie to me!" Izzy hissed. "Like hell, it isn't my business. We trusted you and you seduced my sister."

That was the final straw and Jake could feel his control slipping. "I didn't seduce her. We did not sleep together. You don't know what you are talking about."

"I don't know what I'm talking about? What I know is that clearly something happened between you two. I know Emma is twenty-two. I know you are twelve years older than her. I know you are way more experienced and should have known better. I know there were already rumours about you having an affair with her. There are a lot of things I know Jake but none of them explains how you could do something like this," Izzy yelled out.

Jake closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He could see the hurt in Izzy's eyes and hated knowing this would forever alter his relationship with his sister-in-law. He knew Izzy didn't believe his denial and there was enough truth and guilt behind it that it didn't have the conviction it should have.

He finally opened his eyes and spoke softly. "We didn't sleep together. It wasn't like that. I wouldn't take advantage of her Izzy. I need you to know that."

Jake watched as Izzy took a few deep breaths to calm herself down as well. She finally spoke in an equally soft tone, "Do you lo… have feelings for her?"

There wasn't anything he could do but nod his head. Lying at this point wouldn't help anything and there was no longer any point to it either.

Izzy gave him a sad look before saying quietly, "Okay. Then what? Did you think about that? Say if she feels the same way and you guys end up in a relationship, then what? What were you imagining? You guys settle down and have kids? Is that your plan? Did you ask if that is her plan? I know one day it will be, but she is twenty-two. She wants to get into fashion. She wants to do Paris and Milan while you want Highbury. Emma is going to experiment, have boyfriends, multiple relationships and then decide while you want the white picket fence and family now. Will you wait for her and hope she still wants the same thing you do at the end of it all? Or will you ask her to leave all of her dreams behind?"

Jake felt like something was squeezing his chest and he couldn't catch his breath. He wanted to argue with what Izzy was saying and he could feel himself shake his head no. It wasn't clear what he was saying no to, but he wanted to yell at her that she had no idea what she was talking about. Except, she was Emma's sister and had known him all her life as well. She did know. She knew exactly what he wanted and what Emma wanted. Nowhere did those two paths meet. Jake had started to think there was hope and they could figure something out, but he couldn't be the reason Emma gave up on her career or her dreams. He couldn't ask her to leave behind everything she was working towards.

He knew he could give up his own plans for wanting kids, but he would regret that one day as well. Jake didn't even know if she felt the same way about him. Here he was stupidly making plans in his head without asking her but at this point asking her would only make things worse. Where he had been thinking about a _future_, maybe she had just been thinking about a _right now. _He didn't know if he was strong enough to wait and hope she eventually came back to him. Izzy hadn't said anything he didn't already know but hearing them spoken so plainly made it obvious he was deluding himself into thinking this was a good idea.

Jake slowly became aware of the expressions of pity on both John and Izzy's face. He needed to be alone and think.

"I need to go," he finally muttered. He could hear his brother calling out his name but just ignored him as he made his way out the front door.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N**: I loved the feedback for the last chapter. There were some strong opinions (on both sides) regarding Jake's conversation with Izzy... that is basically what I was hoping for, so I'm glad! As always... love the feedback!

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**Chapter 18**

Emma was not looking forward to the meeting with Elton. At the same time, she was hoping this would be the end and he would stop coming after Jake. She couldn't help but wish Jake was with her or she had taken him up on his offer for him to talk to Elton instead. He was always so capable and exuded strength, and this situation required that. In addition, the comfort she felt in his presence made her feel a lot more confident and proficient. Emma had decided that once this meeting with Elton was over, regardless of the outcome she would ask him to visit and they would figure out what was going on between them. She knew what she wanted to happen, but maybe she had to initiate the conversation by making her own feelings clear and hope he felt the same way as well.

Emma looked down at her phone to see there weren't any new messages from him. She knew he was visiting John and Izzy in the afternoon but was really hoping they could talk before her coffee meeting with Elton.

"Okay Emma, we are ready to go?" Harriet announced as she wandered around the living room searching for her purse.

"Ready to go where?" Emma asked in bewilderment.

Harriet glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't think we were letting you go confront Elton by yourself, did you? Me and Rob will sit somewhere nearby and you can signal us if you need help."

Emma hadn't wanted to involve her friends anymore than they already were, but it probably wasn't a bad idea to have them come along. Initially Jake had been insistent that he would be there, but she had strictly told him not to. His law firm was representing Brown Industries, and he needed to be able to claim plausible deniability, in case there was any further fall out. Jake had reluctantly agreed to stay in Highbury.

The coffee shop Emma had chosen was large enough to have multiple seating areas and busy enough to ensure there wouldn't be any chance of them being alone. The last thing she wanted was to end up in a confrontation and although he didn't seem the violent time, that wasn't really a theory she wanted to test.

Elton was already sitting at a table by the window when Emma entered. She quickly made her way to the table and watched from the corner of her eyes as Harriet and Rob entered the shop with large hats and sunglasses on.

"Emma, I won't lie. I was surprised to receive the invite for coffee," Elton started.

"This isn't a social call, so don't get too comfortable. I needed to talk to you," Emma replied briskly. She wanted this meeting to be as efficient and quick as possible.

Elton just raised his eye brow and gave her a questioning smile.

"The threats you made the last time I saw you regarding your dad's company and Jake's. I wouldn't do that if I was you," Emma stated firmly.

"And why not?" Elton asked with a smirk.

"Let's just say, I have some information about you that a lot of people including the media would be very interested in," Emma replied with her own smirk.

Elton scoffed at her statement, "What kind of information would that be?"

Emma pretended to think before replying with a cold smile. "Let's see. How about the fact that you weren't initially accepted into Donwell. That decision changed after a hefty donation was made from Brown Industries to the University. I mean, I'm just a fashion major but last time I checked, it is illegal to offer a bribe to secure university admittance."

Emma watched as Elton's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms, "There was no bribe. Brown Industries makes donations to multiple organizations each year."

Emma nodded along before adding, "True, except there was only the single donation to Donwell, the same time as when you were accepted. You don't deny that you weren't initially admitted and from what I've read on the policy, there are very strict guidelines for when a decision can be overturned. I wonder if you meet those criteria. Also, I really wonder what the media and public will have to say about this and if they will agree with you. Brown Industries already has a hiring practice lawsuit, I don't think this will go over very well with the shareholders."

Elton paled at the truth behind Emma's words, "You… you can't do that. That is illegal."

Emma just shrugged, "I have enough initial proof and I'm sure the rest will turn up if there is an investigation."

Elton shook his head vigorously, "You really can't do that. My dad would kill me." He looked around nervously before whispering, "My dad doesn't know about the donation. I sent the request from his email to someone in accounting and he doesn't usually look into these things, so he didn't notice it. He won't forgive me if he finds out. He thinks there was a mix up at the university initially with my acceptance."

Emma was shocked at this confession and turn of events. It had worked out in their favor that the person in accounts Elton had sent the email to had been Rob Martin. Regardless, none of them had suspected that Mr. Brown didn't even know about Elton's deception.

Emma finally sighed. "Look, I have no wish to turn Brown Industries or your father into collateral damage. But I am warning you, if you ever come after me or Jake or try to destroy our careers again, I won't hesitate to use this information. You have already caused damage that can't be undone but I don't want it to go any further."

"Even if I don't go to the media, with your confession, I will go to your father with the information and he can deal with you," Emma added as an afterthought.

Elton looked away in resignation, "Fine. Look I didn't mean for the rumours to spread and grow the way they did. I just wanted to scare him off, but I still really wanted you to go out with me. Things just got out of hand. He wasn't even a bad professor."

Emma looked at him for a few moments. She almost felt bad for Elton but regardless of whatever he had meant to happen, the results had not been pretty.

"I'm just tired of all this. Let's leave it in the past. Regardless of what you meant or why, your actions really hurt him. Jake is my friend and I have known him all my life. We were living together because my dad didn't want me living by myself in a new city. It was stupid for me to register for his class while he was my roommate, but I didn't think all of that would happen," Emma finally admitted.

It wasn't lost on her that this was the longest and most honest conversation she had ever had with Elton. Even if they were never going to be friends, at least they didn't have to leave things as enemies.

"Roommate? So, does that mean you are single?" Elton asked.

Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes at this, "None of your business. Even if I was, I would not be going out with you. I don't hate you as much, but we are still never going to be friends. Keep my threats in mind though because if I hear about you causing any more trouble, I won't let it go."

The meeting had gone even better than she had expected. Emma was confident they wouldn't have to worry about Elton anymore. She even believed him when he said he hadn't meant for things to go so far and had meant to cause trouble but not necessarily permanent damage.

Emma felt so giddy on her walk home. Harriet and Rob had decided to continue their date at the coffee shop. All Emma wanted to do was get home, so she could call Jake and talk to him about the details. She was done with this game they were playing and was going to make it clear that she wanted _him_ and wanted there to be a _them_.

She hadn't even made it all the way home before she was calling Jake's number to discuss the details with him.

"Emma. Hello."

"Jake. I'm so glad you picked up. Are you back from John and Izzy's? Well guess what, I just came back from my meeting with Elton and let's just say we don't have anything to worry about. He definitely won't be bothering you anymore."

There was a moment of silence before Jake replied in a subdued tone, "I'm glad to hear that Emma."

It sounded like Jake had a cold or was busy, but Emma was too excited from her afternoon to let that bother her. "I have so much to tell you Jake. You would never believe everything I found out."

"Emma. I'm glad the plan worked, and he won't be bothering us but I'm busy today and won't be able to talk on the phone."

Emma was a little taken back by his use of the word _today_ instead of just saying he was busy _now_ and will call her back.

"No worries Jake." She took a deep breath and got the rest of the sentence out in a rush, "did you want to drive down and we can talk in person? I can tell you about what Elton said and then we can talk about other things as well. Harriet is gone for the next few days and we could have the place to ourselves."

The silence on the other end seemed to stretch out forever. Emma held her breath in anticipation. Her invitation was pretty clear but the lack of response from Jake was a little disconcerting.

She finally heard a deep sigh on the other end before Jake replied quietly, "No Emma. I don't think that is a good idea." There was a further pause before Jake cleared his throat and added. "I have a date tomorrow night."

Emma felt her stomach drop at his words. _He had a date? What about them? What about their phone call the night before? What about the kiss? She had not been imagining the intensity and want behind that kiss._

He hadn't promised her anything and the phone conversation the night before hadn't been about anything personal. Regardless of how intimate it had felt, she had no real reason for feeling so hurt. Emma knew his statement was intended to let her know she shouldn't hold out any hope as there wouldn't be a them. It was Jake's way of letting her down.

Emma finally realized she had been silent too long and should say something. She wasn't sure if she would be able to get the words out, but Emma finally mustered up some false cheer. "Right. Well, that's great Jake. Have fun on your date."

* * *

Jake wanted to smash his phone against the wall. He had clearly heard the hurt behind Emma's falsely cheerful goodbye. Even while knowing that was necessary, he wished he could take it back. There was no denying they would probably never go back to being friends like they used to be, but Jake knew he had to be the sensible one and end this before it went any further. Even if Emma thought she wanted him, Izzy had been right about all the things she would have to give up or compromise on for this to work. That hadn't made it any easier to end things.

_I just ended a relationship that wasn't even a relationship, _Jake thought bitterly. _A relationship he wanted more than any other he had ever wanted._

Jake swore in frustration. He couldn't even get himself to care that it seemed Elton wouldn't be causing them any more issues. All he wanted to do was take Emma in his arms and tell her he loved her. Now that he knew what she tasted and felt like, it made him crave her even more. No matter how many times he kept repeating the words, his mind and body refused to believe that wouldn't happen again. There was no point on sitting at home and he finally grabbed his jacket and headed to a bar nearby.

Jake was sitting in a corner doing his best to drink himself into oblivion when a figure loomed over his table.

"Heavy drinking while sitting all alone. That spells trouble." The cheerful voice belonged to Frank Churchill, but Jake couldn't even be bothered to tell him to go away. That required effort he needed to conserve for his next drink.

The lack of response didn't seem to bother Frank as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "It's a good thing I saw you. You look at least a little less pitiful if someone is sitting with you."

Jake finally looked up and growled, "What the hell are you doing here? I don't want company right now."

Frank just smiled and replied cheerfully, "Jane was in Highbury visiting her aunt. We were here earlier, and I thought I left my wallet here. Turns out it was in my jacket pocket the whole time. Also, you might not want the company, but you clearly need it."

Jake just ignored him, really hoping the annoying blonde would go away. He might have been glad for his friendship earlier but in this moment, he wanted to punch him in the face.

"So… girl troubles?" Frank asked innocently.

Jake just took another gulp of his drink.

"This girl wouldn't happen to be both our favorite student, would it?" Frank continued.

"You don't know what you are talking about," Jake replied automatically.

Frank finally looked serious and gave him a sympathetic look, "Why don't you tell me then? It might help you."

It was on the tip of Jake's tongue to deny it all, but he found himself staring at his glass and talking instead. "She's twelve years younger than me. I have known her all my life. I remember when she was born, she was six when she lost her mom, I saw her when she started school and got her first boyfriend. I was the one who taught her how to swim. I was the one she would come to because her sister and my brother wouldn't include her in their games. We became friends because we were both on the opposite ends with our siblings in the middle. It was my job to guide her, protect her, advise her… not to start wanting her like this."

"I don't know what to do anymore. It would be one thing to want her from a distance, but things have gone too far for us to ever be friends again. Did you know her sister is my sister-in-law? Well, she found out about my feelings and is just pissed. Damn it, Frank! Emma is twenty-two and I'm thirty-four. She doesn't want the things I want. She's in a completely different phase of her life. She might think she wants me right now, but I know she will regret this. I told her I had a date with someone else and you should have heard the hurt in her voice."

Frank gave out a low whistle as he contemplated Jake's dilemma, "What did she say when you told her all of your concerns?"

Jake shook his head, "I haven't told her any of that. We haven't talked about it. I can't ask her to sacrifice so much to be in a relationship."

Frank nodded slowly, "You know the one thing I found out during my breakup with Jane, is that I was an idiot. I was an idiot for thinking I know what is best and trying to implement it without listening to what she had to say. You are right, Emma might not want you or she might want you for a short time or she might have to make sacrifices but so will you. If you both want this to work, both of you will have to give up some things and figure out what works for you. Except right now you have just decided what is best without discussing it with her."

Jake just shook his head again in resignation. He would love to think it was that simple, but they had too many things working against them to be resolved so easily. The difficult part had been turning down Emma's offer but now he had to ensure there was enough distance between them for both to move on and forget about this entire idea.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: ** So I have decided to post the next two chapters together, mostly because they are the last two chapters and are actually (in my mind) part of a single chapter but were just getting too long.

Please read and review!

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**Chapter 19**

Emma threw her phone on her bed in frustration, after yet another conversation regarding her plans for attending the Highbury Charity Gala. So far, she had turned down multiple requests from her sister and her dad but this time it was Ms. Bates who had called to remind her of her promise to attend the gala. Emma couldn't remember a single year the Woodhouse family hadn't been involved in this event both as volunteers and attendees, and everyone was shocked at Emma's refusal to attend. There had even been a year that Izzy and John had accidently booked a vacation at the same time as the gala and had cancelled their vacation, so they wouldn't miss the event.

The charity gala was the biggest social event in Highbury and tickets were in high demand for the formal event. It was the perfect excuse to get dressed up and party while also collecting money for local charities. There was also an emotional reason for them always being there, since Emma's mom had been one of the founding members of the event. The Woodhouse family had always been vocal and active in the planning to remember and pay tribute to their mother.

This year Emma was in no mood to attend, mostly because she didn't want to risk running into Jake Knightley. She knew without a doubt that he would be there since his law firm was one of the biggest sponsors for the event. As the managing partner of the firm, he wouldn't be able to make an excuse to get out of attending, assuming he wanted to. _Maybe he would be there with his date._

Emma was in no mood to share any of this with her sister or dad and had been making vague excuses about being busy at work. She had a feeling they suspected her reasons were relating to Jake. However, this time it had been Ms. Bates who had called. It had been clear that she hadn't been suspicious about her excuse but just simply heartbroken that Emma wouldn't be able to attend. In the end Emma didn't have the heart to say no to her and had acquiesced and told her she would figure something out. It was probably part of the left-over guilt from being rude to Ms. Bates initially, and her promise to her during that same conversation that she would attend, that had made her agree.

It had been a few weeks since her last conversation with Jake, but Emma was still so upset and angry at him. She was done with trying to figure out whatever was going on and had no plans for initiating any conversation or contact with him. The worst part was that regardless of how angry she was, she still missed him. Her days were spent thinking about all the way's she would give him a piece of her mind when she saw him next, but her nights were spent with memories mixed with fantasies of them together. That yearning for Jake was the part she was most worried about. It seemed he wasn't interested in her but as soon as she let her guard down even a little bit, her heart and brain seemed to forget completely and reverted to wanting him again. Emma sighed, trying to convince herself that Jake's presence at the gala would not hamper her own enjoyment of the event. _It's not like I must talk to him if I don't want to._

Besides, she had more important things to worry about… like what she was going to wear.

* * *

Jake took a deep breath as he straightened his jacket and entered the Highbury Charity Gala. He would rather be anywhere else than at this event, but he knew it was his responsibility to represent his firm. Especially after all the changes over the last few months with him being away, it was even more imperative to be present. It wasn't his employees fault that Jake feared facing a woman. Even if the woman in question currently occupied almost his every waking and definitely his every sleeping moments, that wasn't exactly something he could tell people.

He knew he had hurt Emma, but he was trying to do this for her. He didn't want to be the reason to hold her back and get her stuck in a relationship that didn't allow her to realize everything she wanted. They had too many things stacked against them. Add in the complication of the rumours which had only just started to disappear. If they started a relationship it would make them all seem valid and Emma would have to face the taunts at the University.

Jake shook his head in frustration, he was once again thinking of Emma when he should be concentrating on his surroundings. As soon as he entered the room, his eyes were immediately drawn to a woman in a green shimmering dress across the room. Even without seeing the face, he instinctively knew by his bodies reaction it was Emma. His heart beat sped up instantly at the thought of being in the same room as her. He couldn't stop his eyes from roaming over her back and studying the low-cut style of the gown. The dress perfectly hugged her backside and then floated to the bottom, giving her the appearance of a sea goddess. Even without seeing her from the from, he knew her eyes would be impossibly green, and he could easily get lost in their depth. He remembered another green dress and telling her how the color made her eyes look even more green. _I wonder if she chose that color for me._

Jake took a deep steadying breath and forced himself to get the thoughts off his mind and walk towards the opposite direction to further prolong the inevitable meeting.

Even without turning around, Emma knew the exact moment Jake entered the room. She watched as Izzy went from telling a story about the kids to suddenly giving furtive glances towards the door and stumbling over her words. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what she had to look forward to over the years. Any mention of Jake would lead to everyone becoming extra conscious and acting unnatural. It was too little too late, but she almost wished this thing between them hadn't happened, so they could at least be just friends.

_If Jake had his way, it wouldn't have happened at all, _Emma thought bitterly. It really hurt to think the one man she wanted was someone who didn't want her in return. It had never occurred to her that her romance and love story would have anything but a happy ending.

"What are you frowning about? You are young and gorgeous, and that color looks fabulous on you. I see a number of guys checking you out." Izzy declared with forced cheerfulness.

Emma gave her sister a small smile, "I'm not really in a partying mood tonight. I think I'm going to do my round and say hello to everyone and then head home. I'll catch up with you in the morning."

Izzy studied her for a few moments before giving a loud sigh. "I'm sorry sweetie. You know I'm always here to talk if you need to, right?"

Emma gave a distracted nod. She wasn't really in the mood to get into any deep discussions with her sister. She quickly pointed to a large group, "lets go join dad. Everyone else we know seems to be there as well, so I can say my hello's before heading out."

The sisters made their way to a large group of people which consisted of all their friends and family. Their father and Ms. Bates seemed to be shyly sneaking glances at the other while talking to other people. The group also consisted of Jane Fairfax, her fiancé Frank Churchill, and Izzy's husband John. The couple at the center of the discussion was Emma's friend Taylor and her date Nathan Weston.

"That's so exciting that you are moving to Donwell," Jane was saying to Taylor as Emma and Izzy came in.

"I agree. We are going to have so much fun together while I'm finishing my second year," Emma added to the discussion with a smile.

"And I'll be so glad Taylor will be there to keep an eye on my dear Emma," Henry added.

Ms. Bates beamed up at Henry before adding, "Yes, it was perfect that Jake was there last year and now Taylor will be there. It is always nice to have a friendly face around in a new place. I personally have no interest in moving to a new place. But both the Knightley's and Taylor's family are such good family friends with the Woodhouse, I know it will put Henry's mind at ease."

"It's probably a good thing Jake isn't going to be there. Let's just keep him away from the university for a bit." Frank added drily under his breath.

"Ya, who would have thought Jake was the one we need to keep on a tight leash." John responded with a smirk.

"It's the university girls. I hear they can be quiet charming," Izzy deadpanned.

Emma could feel her face getting hot with anger as they started to chuckle. Even if they meant it as a joke, for them to insinuate that Jake had done something wrong was completely unacceptable.

Completely forgetting the fact that Emma herself was extremely angry at Jake, she found herself loudly saying, "You guys think you are being funny? Because you aren't!"

Everyone instantly stopped talking and awkwardly glanced at each other.

"Emma, I didn't mean…" Izzy began.

"What didn't you mean?" Emma interrupted hotly. "You guys didn't mean to make fun of Jake or the rumours at the university? Do you even realize what a tough time he has been going through and not once has be complained or blamed anyone? His agreeing for me to live with him was to help dad with his anxieties so I could go to the master's program I wanted. I was the one who registered in his class and didn't switch out in time. I thought it would be funny. I didn't even listen to him when he tried to warn me. He still didn't blame me when the rumours started. Jake faced the brunt of them and even now when they are starting to fade away they will never completely be gone. He will always have that hanging over him affecting his reputation. He loves his firm, but he had always wanted to teach as well, and he had to give that possibility up through no fault of his own. How dare you guys suggest he ever acted in any way other than being honorable. He is the most responsible, kind, caring person I know, and I refuse to let you guys turn him into a joke."

Emma finally stopped her rant to realize everyone was staring at her with varying degrees of shock. She could feel herself turning red in embarrassment at her very public defense of Jake's character. It took her another second before she realized the group was now discreetly looking at someone behind her.

Emma turned to see Jake Knightly making his way towards her. It was apparent by the emotion in his eyes he had heard her little speech. Emma might not have liked what everyone was saying but that didn't mean she had forgiven Jake either. Without a second's hesitation, Emma turned around and ran towards the nearest exit.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** This is the last chapter. I really hope you guys enjoyed the story, I definitely enjoyed writing it. I unintentionally ended up picking a bit of a tricky topic to write about, so I hope I was able to do it justice and come to a believable resolution for the story. It turns out I just like putting our characters in difficult/emotional situations and make them fight to get their happy ending (makes perfect sense right?)

I just want to say thank you to everyone who read and especially everyone who reviewed/liked. There are a few people who reviewed and provided feedback throughout and I can't even tell you how much that encouraged me or helped me think. I ended up changing a number of things based on the feedback I received.

If you are reading... or have been reading... I would love to get a final review/comment just for the end. Your thoughts for the overall story, characters, suggestions... basically anything you want to share. Thanks Again! Cheers!

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Jake swore as he watched Emma zigzag her way through the party to get as far away from him. He had been having a quiet discussion with a former client when he had heard his name being uttered by Emma. That had immediately piqued his interest and he had started making his way towards the group. Although he had missed the conversation he was still close enough to hear majority of Emma's defence of him. He couldn't believe that even after everything he had done to her, she still thought he was a good person. At this point, he wasn't sure he believed it of himself but after hearing Emma say those things about it, the one thing that was completely clear was that he needed to talk to her and tell her how he felt.

"Jake… Jake…" he reluctantly stopped as Izzy ran after him in her high heels while calling his name.

"I can't stop right now Izzy. I need to find Emma."

"I know, but you are going the wrong way. I just saw her slip out the side door towards the garden."

Jake searched her eyes for a few moments before finally accepting that she was telling the truth. He gave a quick nod and turned to resume his pursuit.

"Jake. Wait, I just want to say, I'm sorry for what I said that day. I don't know what will happen but that is for you guys to figure out. I love both of you and I'll support you both no matter what," Izzy said quietly.

Jake gave another quick nod as he quickly started making his way towards the garden. It was a beautiful clear night and Jake could clearly see the moon and stars twinkling above. The garden was lit by a few well-placed lamps along the way, but Jake couldn't see any sign of Emma anywhere. The grounds were large, and the garden had multiple stone pathways and he wasn't sure which way Emma had taken. He was now getting desperate in his need to talk to Emma. A thought occurred to him and he headed towards the fountain. Although the fountain was further away from the main building, he knew it was one of Emma's favorite spots and he hoped she had headed in that direction even in her haste to get away from him.

It only took a few more minutes before he spotted her standing in front of the water shivering in the slight chill. Although it wasn't cold, her dress wasn't exactly meant for an evening stroll without at least a shawl. Jake shrugged out of suit jacket and slowly moved towards her. He knew she could hear him approaching on the stone pathway, but Emma didn't turn to acknowledge his presence.

She looked so beautiful in the moonlight, with her green dress appearing to glow in the light provided by a nearby lamp. Her golden hair was in an elaborate twist at her nape and it took everything in him to not lean over and kiss her elegant neck. Jake finally stopped directly behind her and draped his suit jacket over her shoulders. The only indication she felt anything by him standing so close was a small indrawn breath she took.

"Emma. Thank you for standing up for me," Jake finally murmured.

Emma didn't reply for a few moments before finally saying, "I don't want your thanks Jake. I'm tired of always being the one to take a risk or make a move. I love you Jake Knightley, but I won't chase after you."

Jake's heart skipped a beat at the simple and matter of fact way she declared her love. "Emma, I love you too." Jake spoke softly, "I can't even tell you how much. I don't know when it happened or how, but I know you are my entire life. I've never felt like this before."

Emma finally turned so she was facing him. They were standing so close to each other that he could clearly see the unshed tears in her eyes. He put out his hand to pull her towards him, but she just shook her head and pulled the suit jacket closer around her.

When she finally spoke, the tone was barely above a whisper but the anguish behind the words were clear. "Then why? Why do you keep pushing me away? You say you love me, but you don't want me."

Jake gave a bitter laugh at the irony of her thinking he didn't want her. "You think I don't want you? You are all I think about. Emma, I know I won't ever feel like this about anyone again, but I don't want to be the anchor that holds you back from your life."

Jake looked at her, silently wanting her to understand. "I'm twelve years older than you Emma. You are just starting your career and want to be in the fashion industry. You are so smart and talented, you will be London and Milan and Paris, where I'm Highbury. You are twenty-two, and at the start of everything. You are young enough to want adventure and new experiences and romance. I can give you some of that Emma, but I can't give you everything you would want or everything you deserve. I want forever and marriage and kids, but I can't ask you to give up on everything for me and settle down already. I love you too much to hold you back."

Emma didn't say anything, but he could see silent tears running down her face. He finally reached forward to wipe the tears from her face and he watched as she closed her eyes.

"Jake. You assume I want London and Paris and Milan but all I truly want is Highbury," Emma said softly before stepping back and drying her tears. "You think I want a high-flying career? The part that I love most about fashion is working with colors and textures and transforming something. I have become the columnist for the home decoration portion of the magazine I am interning for. The person who was doing it didn't really have an interest and it turned out I was really good at taking a space and knowing what to do with it. I have been trying to stay busy to avoid thinking about you and have started picking up contracts for designing rooms and spaces and decorating. I had already decided that is what I want to do and was planning on establishing a business in Highbury when I finish my degree."

Jake looked at her with shock as her words went through his brain. "Emma…"

"No, don't Emma me. You just decided I was too young, and our problems were insurmountable. You shut me out and didn't even discuss them with me. Did you even ask me what I want? Izzy was my age when her and John got married and she was pregnant within the year. Not a single person thought she was too young, or they shouldn't have gotten together. I am not saying we need to get married right away but you are willing to completely throw away the concept of us because you decided there was no way I could possibly be interested in a committed relationship?"

"Damn it, Jake. We have known each other our whole lives and the one thing we always had was communication. Even when I was annoying you or you were lecturing me, we were still communicating. And now I get nothing."

The truth in Emma's words was undeniable. Jake had essentially been willing to give up on the most important thing in his life because he thought he knew best without discussing it with her. Jake closed his eyes at his own stupidity. "Emma I'm so sorry. You are right, and I should have told you how I felt and my worries. I didn't want you to have to face the rumours when you went back to university. If word got out about us dating, it would no longer be rumours."

Emma narrowed her eyes, "is this what this is about? You don't want people to think the rumours were true? If we are dating, then people will say it must have been true all along?"

Jake ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Damn it, Emma. It is all true, I was your professor. The thoughts I had about you while I was your professor were not pure. There will be even more talk if we date. I hate the thought of people gossiping and whispering about you, about us."

Jake wanted to scream at the disappointment that was visible in Emma's eyes. When she finally spoke, her words were soft but devoid of the emotion of before. "You know what Jake? You are right, there will be talk. You won't be able to convince people that nothing happened while you were my professor. There will be talk about you being older and me being younger. But that's the truth and you are older, and I am younger. You say you have never felt like this before but if you were so worried about what people would say, maybe you should have fallen in love with someone the rest of the world would approve of instead."

Emma paused for a few moments before adding, "I guess you have to decide. Do you want this to work out or does my age and people talking about us bother you so much that you won't be able to get past it? I know what I want but until you are sure, we don't have anything further to talk about."

Jake was ready to say of course he didn't care but Emma surprised him once again by leaning over and softly pressing her lips against his. He couldn't help the groan that escaped and before he could deepen the kiss any further, Emma was already pulling back. Jake watched in silence as she slowly walked away from him into the night.

* * *

The next day Emma sat in her father's living room staring out the window while the rest of the family made noise around her. The noise was inevitable with three young kids running around the house. Emma had already been in her room pretending to be asleep when everyone else had finally gotten home the night before. Her sister had loudly announced that it was too late to do the drive to their house and the family would be staying over. Emma suspected it had more to do with her sister wanting to keep an eye on her than it did the lateness of the hour. She had heard her sister come in her room and whisper her name to see if she was awake but had continued to pretend she was asleep.

The tears hadn't started until she heard Izzy and John whispering in the hallway about feeling helpless and not knowing how to help their respective sibling. Although Emma now knew Jake felt the same about her, she still wasn't sure how things would work out for them. It was easy to say that Jake needed to make up his mind, but the truth was that she liked being liked. There would be judgement and questions about her dating an older man. Maybe she should have spent more time thinking about the inevitable jokes about her being the trophy girlfriend and him being the sugar daddy and of course because of her own stupidity, the professor part would always haunt them. Emma shook her head to stop the doubt, she knew how she felt and what she wanted and would not let the rest of the world dictate her life.

Emma sighed for what felt like the millionth time this morning. Her brain was a whirlwind of activity, but her body was content to spend the day on the couch snuggled in her oldest pajamas and blanket. The morning had involved various suggestions from her family trying to cheer her up, but she couldn't get herself to pretend, even for their benefit. She knew she would have to force herself to get past this but today she just wanted to nurse a broken heart.

The sudden commotion and cheers from the kids alerted her to Jake's presence in the house. Her first instinct was to run to her room again, but she wasn't sure if she had the energy to make that trip.

"Emma," Jake said as he made his way towards her while completely ignoring the other adults in the room. He didn't stop until he was sitting on the couch by her legs watching her intently.

"Emma," Jake repeated. "I spent the night thinking about what you said. All this time I kept saying I don't want to hold you back and I don't want you to have to face gossip and questions. That is true, but the underlying truth is that I was a coward. We have several obstacles but so does everyone. There is always something you must deal with and figure out, but I feared putting it all out there. What if you didn't feel the same? Or that night hadn't meant the same to you? I was scared that I was thinking forever with you and you were thinking just now. And in the meantime, I pushed you away and didn't even try. It took me awhile to realize nothing is every guaranteed in life but the only thing we have is our actions."

Emma could hear the gasps in the background, but she ignored everything to stare at Jake as he slowly took her hands and kissed them softly on the knuckle. She could feel her heartbeat running wildly. Her own emotions were accurately mirrored in Jake's eyes as he continued to stare at her intently.

"Emma Woodhouse, I love you. I don't have the words to describe how much. I couldn't explain to you the moment it happened but my entire life you have always been there, and I can't imagine the rest of my life without you in it. I don't care if people talk or gossip or I'm older or whatever else, all I know is that we are meant to be together. This time I won't let you go. I promise I won't shut you out or stop talking. We can work through our problems together. If you want your career to include fashion and travelling, we will make it work and figure it out. I don't want you to give up on your dreams, but I just want your dreams to include me in them."

Emma felt like her heart would explode from the happiness spreading through her. Where a few minutes ago she didn't have the ability to move, now her entire being was humming with energy. She knew her family was listening intently to Jake's declaration but just the fact that he would do this in front of their family was his way of showing how serious and committed he was.

There were so many things she wanted to say but, in the end, she just threw herself into his arms and wrapped her own arms around him.

"My dreams already include you in them Jake. I want forever," Emma whispered against his neck.

Jake slowly pulled back, so he was looking at her. He put his fingers below her chin to slowly tilt her face up and give her the kiss they had both been waiting for. Time stood still as they slowly deepened the kiss and clung to each other until they were both breathless.

"Umm well… This is a new development. Wait… What night was he referring to?" Henry's said loudly to the room.

"Dad it's your fault for making them live together," Izzy responded with a reluctant smile.

"I don't know, I think this would have happened eventually. They kind of make sense in a 'weird, no one saw it coming, I'm not sure how I feel about this' sort of way," John mused loudly.

Jake and Emma slowly pulled back and continued to smile at each other, completely ignoring the conversation going on around them.

Emma sighed contently. It felt like she had already spent a lifetime wanting Jake, and now she wanted to spend the next lifetime loving him. "I love you, Jake Knightley."

Jake couldn't contain his happiness as he let out a laugh-filled with joy. "And I love you, Emma Woodhouse."


End file.
